


Truth and Ideals: The Unova Chronicles

by CJCroen1393



Series: CJ Croen's Pokeverse [1]
Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters | Pokemon - All Media Types, Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence, Gen, Mentions of Abuse later in story, Novelization, attempted novelization of playthrough
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-27
Updated: 2018-01-21
Packaged: 2018-08-11 06:50:12
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 46
Words: 122,085
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7880719
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CJCroen1393/pseuds/CJCroen1393
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Touya H. Black has begun his Pokemon journey with his two friends Bianca and Cheren. But as he goes on his journey with a trusty Snivy by his side, Touya discovers that he's getting himself into something shocking. What is Team Plasma? Why do they want to separate humans and Pokemon? Who is this mysterious boy named "N" who's seemingly following Touya on his journey?</p><p>Attempted novelization of my playthrough for Pokemon Black.</p><p>Complete as of December 18th, 2017</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Prologue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is quite possibly my most ambitious fanfic project: A novelization of my playthrough for Pokemon Black!
> 
> I started playing what was once my sister's Pokemon Black game (she gave me permission to overwrite her save file) and it's been pretty fun! I knew that I wanted to write something based on my experience, so I carefully wrote down details I thought would be important for the story.
> 
> I'm actually not finished with the game (I'm currently level grinding for my fight against the Elite Four), but I have at least enough material for twenty-nine chapters, so I might as well start. I imagine that at most, it'll have fifty chapters, but if I'm lucky I'll be able to finish it before then. I'm back in school too, so this will have to be done more in my spare time--which I have a surprising amount of.
> 
> This isn't a Nuzlocke, btw. I would never be able to survive a complete Nuzlocke.

_Hi there! Welcome to the world of Pokemon! My name is Professor Juniper. Everyone calls me the Pokemon Professor!_

_That's right! This world is widely inhabited by mysterious creatures called Pokemon! Pokemon have mysterious powers. They come in many shapes and live in many different places. We humans live happily with Pokemon! Living and working together, we complement each other. We help each other to accomplish difficult tasks. Having Pokemon battle one another is particularly popular, and it deepens the bonds between people and Pokemon. And that is why I research Pokemon. Well, that's enough from me…let me introduce you to the three children this story focuses on!_

_This young man is Touya H. Black, the hero of our story. He's a hardy kid with a good heart._

_This young man is Cheren. He can be a little difficult, but he's a very honest person._

_This young woman is Bianca. She's a little flighty, but she works very hard._

_I think these three have potential, so I'm going to give them each a very, very important Pokemon._

_The moment they choose the Pokemon that will accompany them on their journey, their story will truly begin. During their journey, they will meet many Pokemon and people with different personalities and points of view! I really hope they find what is important to them in all of these travels… That's right! They'll befriend new people and Pokemon and grow as people! That is the most important goal for their journey! Let's go visit the world of Pokemon!_

\----

It was a bright Autumn day in Nuvema Town. The sun was shining, the Pidoves were singing and Touya H. Black was awaiting the arrival of his friends. 

Touya was a boy of average height and build for his age, with brown hair and brown eyes. He had picked out his traveling outfit the previous day--black shirt, blue coat, long blue pants, red sneakers and a cap--and was now wearing it. One of Professor Juniper's aides had brought him a package, which he knew was a box containing three Pokemon, one for each of his friends.

Touya stood in his bedroom, looking at the box in front of him. It was his sixteenth birthday, which meant that he could get his very first Pokemon. He'd have been lying if he said he wasn't excited about all this. He had always wanted to be a Pokemon trainer--he had loved Pokemon since he was very young--and now he had his chance. Or at least, he will once his friends come. 

"Touya!" said a voice from the doorway. Touya turned to see his friend Cheren standing there, his glasses gleaming as he breathed heavily, evidently having run over there from his own house. Cheren was a thin, pale boy with black hair. He wore glasses, though Touya wasn't convinced he actually needed them, and usually dressed in a suit.

"I heard from Professor Juniper," he said, "Is it true, are we getting a Pokemon?"

"Yes," said Touya smiling, "But we have to wait for Bianca first."

Cheren grumbled. Bianca was more than a little forgetful

Sure enough, though, Bianca stumbled into the room. Bianca was a tall, energetic girl with blond hair and green eyes. She was wearing a bright orange dress and a round green hat.

"Am I late again?" asked Bianca, sheepishly, "Sooory, guys!"

Touya smiled and Cheren shook his head.

"Bianca," said Cheren, "I've known for ten years that you had no sense of time, but how could you forget that we're getting our Pokemon today?"

Bianca laughed and Touya gestured to the box.

"The Pokemon are in this box," he said, "who wants to pick first?"

"Maybe you should go first, Touya," said Bianca, "it's your house!"

Cheren nodded in agreement. Touya grinned.

"Okay," he said, "let's see..."

There was a note from Professor Juniper on it.

"I've brought three Pokemon, one for you and one for each of your friends. Please settle your choices politely. Enjoy your Pokemon!  
\--Professor Juniper"

Touya opened the box and looked inside to see the three Pokeballs inside. Each one had a tag on it that showed a picture of the Pokemon inside. The first one had a picture of a green, lizard-like creature with a long pointed nose and a leaf on its back--it was the grass type, Snivy. The second had a picture of a small orange piglet, the fire type, Tepig. And the last had a blue and white otter, the water type known as Oshawott.

Touya thought about it for a moment, but was quickly drawn to Snivy. Picking up that Pokeball, he smiled to his friends.

"I pick Snivy," he said.

"Great," said Bianca, excitedly as she picked up the other two, "So I'll take this one and Cheren can have this one!"

Bianca was holding the Oshawott's ball and had given the Tepig's to Cheren.

"What!?" asked Cheren, incredulously, "You picked already?"

He looked at the Pokeball and sighed.

"Oh nevermind," he said, "I wanted Tepig anyway."

The three of them smiled cheerfully at each other, satisfied with their choices. Bianca then lit up and said, "Hey guys! Let's have a Pokemon battle!"

"What?" asked Cheren, looking quite surprised at her sudden suggestion, "Right now?"

"Let's just try it," said Bianca, "It'd be great practice!"

Touya nodded.

"I'm game," he said, holding up his Pokeball, "I think it'd be nice to see what they can do."

Cheren rolled his eyes. Bianca smiled and said "Let's do it! Go, Oshawott!"

"Go, Snivy!"

The two Pokemon emerged from the Pokeballs. Snivy stood tall and proud looking, swishing its long, leaf-tipped tail with a bored look on its face. Oshawott had its front paws crossed and a serious look on its face as it glared at Snivy.

Touya looked at his Pokemon and shouted "Snivy, tackle!"

Snivy just turned to look at Touya with an annoyed expression. He then turned and ran at Oshawott, tackling him and sending him flying into a pile of books. Oshawott let out an angry bark as he fell to the ground, scrambling back to his feet. Snivy hissed and Bianca giggled.

"Nice attack, Touya," she called out, "Oshawott! Use a tackle of your own!"

Oshawott, in contrast to Snivy, obeyed Bianca immediately. He stood up and tackled Snivy to the ground. Snivy gave an angry hiss and whipped him away with his tail. Oshawott yelped at this and collapsed to the ground, before looking up at Bianca, as if asking her for guidance.

Bianca called out, "Oshawott, use tail whip!"

Oshawott moved swiftly, twirling forward and slamming Snivy into a video game console. Irritated, the Snivy glowered at Oshawott.

"Okay," said Touya, "Snivy, how about you--"

But Snivy wasn't listening. He scrambled back to his feet, running even faster at Oshawott and slamming his head into his stomach. Oshawott squeaked and fell over on his back, breathing heavily.

"Oshawott, return!" shouted Bianca.

"Come back, Snivy!" commanded Touya.

Bianca wiped the sweat off her brow, looking surprised.

"You put up a pretty good fight, Touya!" she said, smiling.

"Yeah, I guess..." said Touya.

_"Snivy didn't seem to want to listen to me..."_

"How about you, Cheren?" asked Bianca.

"What about me?" asked Cheren.

"You wanna try a battle? Yours has a type advantage against Touya's!"

Cheren looked a bit reluctant, but then smiled.

"Alright," he said, "I guess it'd be nice to get some practice in."

Cheren released his Tepig, while Touya sent out his Snivy.

"Tepig, tackle now!"

Tepig let out a squeal as he ran over to Snivy, headbutting him and slamming him into the wall. Annoyed, Snivy glared at Tepig and hissed, flicking a forked tongue out of his mouth.

"Snivy!" said Touya, "Use tail whip!"

Snivy tackled Tepig in response.

"No, Snivy! I said tail whip!"

The Tepig scowled, smoke coming out of his nostrils and his ears twitching in annoyance. Touya looked at the two Pokemon, unsure of what to do now.

Suddenly, Cheren called out "Tepig, return!" and brought Tepig back into his Pokeball.

Touya scrambled for his Pokeball and returned Snivy to his own Pokeball.

Cheren smiled and said, "I think it's best if we saved our energy, don't you think?"

"I agree," said Bianca. Then she looked around and noticed how much of a mess they had made in their trainer battle.

"Oh crap!" she said in alarm.

"C'mon, Bianca," said Cheren, "let's heal up these Pokemon and apologize to Touya's mom about the mess."

Touya smiled and looked down at his Pokemon.

Snivy didn't seem very cooperative...

\----

"We're so sorry, Mrs. Black!" said Bianca and Cheren in unison as Touya entered from upstairs. His mother chuckled in response.

"Don't worry about it, you two," she said, "I was a trainer once too you know! I'll have it cleaned up soon."

Touya gave a smile as he headed in, looking at his mother.

"And do you like your new Pokemon, Touya?" 

"Yes, mom," said Touya, "I do like him."

"Good for you! Here, take this!"

She handed Touya an XTranceiver.

"This will help you communicate with me or your friends whenever you need to! And here's a town map, so that you can find your way to the different towns! There are a lot of them and you're going to need to navigate through them all."

"Thanks mom," said Touya, grinning, "I'm gonna go to the lab to thank Professor Juniper right now!"

"Good luck, Touya! And make me and your father proud!"

\----

Touya emerged from the house and saw a flock of Pidove flying away as he opened the door and saw red, yellow and orange leaves falling all around him. He thought about all the Deerlings whose coats were likely changing color as he walked.

Touya had made his way to the lab and saw that Bianca and Cheren were already there with Professor Juniper. Juniper was a tall woman with brown hair and brown eyes. She wore a long white labcoat over her white shirt and skirt, as well as brightly colored earrings.

"Hi there! I've been waiting for you young people!" she said, "Let me introduce myself again. My name is…"

"Professor Juniper?" said Cheren, "We know your name."

"Come, come, Cheren!" said Professor Juniper, "This is not a time to take things lightly. Today is a day to remember always, so it's best to behave with some formality. That being so, once again, my name is Professor Juniper, and I am researching when and how the creatures called Pokemon came into existence. Oh, that's unusual! You've already had a Pokemon battle! So maybe that's why… It feels as though your Pokemon have already begun to trust you! By the way, would you like to give your Pokemon a nickname?"

"Aw, I think Oshawott is fine as he is!" said Bianca.

"I feel the same about Tepig," said Cheren.

Touya looked down at Snivy's Pokeball and said, "I think I'll nickname mine."

"What do want to call him?" asked Juniper.

"Ooh! Ooh! Name him 'Snakey'!" said Bianca.

"That's a stupid name," said Cheren, "name him something that matches his abilities or appearances. Like say, 'Overgrowth'."

Touya thought about it. He didn't like either of those names, but he wanted to be polite. After a little while, he remembered a movie he saw as a little kid that had a talking snake in it--a snake that had the same arrogant demeanor as this Snivy.

"I think I'll call him, Sir Hiss," Touya said.

"An excellent nickname!" said Juniper, "It sounds noble!" 

"It fits the little guy like a glove too," said Cheren with a smile.

"As for why I gave all of you Pokemon…"

"It's for the Pokedex, right?" asked Cheren.

"I am astonished. Nice work, Cheren! You have already studied Pokemon extensively, haven't you? Still, let me explain everything from the beginning, for everyone's sake. The Pokedex is a high-tech device that automatically records the Pokemon you encounter! So, I want you three to visit many places and meet all of the Pokemon in the Unova region! This is my request. Touya! Cheren! Bianca! You'll go on an adventure to complete the Pokedex, will you not?"

The three kids nodded.

"All of you, thanks! You have given me the best possible answer!" she said.

"So what next?" asked Bianca.

"Next, I need to teach you how to meet Pokemon. Please meet me at Route 1, OK?"  
\----

The Snivy huffed a little to himself, resting in the Pokeball. He didn't understand why he was given to this inexperienced child, nor why he was given such a dumb name. Still, he figured beggars couldn't be choosers. He decided he should just relax and make the best of this...perhaps this boy would be useful to him. The power he was so proud of may be made stronger...

\----

_Snivy_  
_Sir Hiss_  
_Relaxed Nature_  
_Nuvema Town_  
_Met at Level 5_  
_Proud of his power_

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, quite a few of the quotes were taken from the actual game XD Hey, I'm justified in that! This is meant to be a novelization of the actual game!  
> Edit 2/22/2017: Decided to make some changes. Touya and his friends for example are 16 instead of 14.  
> Subedit 8/31/2017: Somehow Touya's age remained 14 for some reason. Why did no one tell me!?  
> Edit 3/7/2017: Part of my editing spree-added some personality to the Pokemon and also removed the accents from the word Pokemon to keep the fic consistent.


	2. Starting the Journey

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Woo! I was working on this one for a while! I hope it's not too long ^_^;
> 
> About midway through, I started to worry that I was mimicking/plagiarizing the game's actual quotes too much so I altered pretty much all of Touya and Cheren's dialogue with N. Any quotes I used word for word came from Bulbapedia (this applies to the previous chapter too). I have opted to only use those quotes as springboards from now on, especially after I saw how great Touya and Cheren's discussion with N turned out.
> 
> Oh! And I almost forgot! I finally finished the actual game and completed my outline! So the rest of the story should be written fairly easily from here on out!
> 
> Anyways, enjoy!

Touya headed to Route One, just north of Nuvema, to meet Professor Juniper. Route One was a rather pleasant but not very exciting place, consisting of various paths and a fields full of tall grass. Before he could enter Route One itself, he heard a familiar voice...

"Heeey! Touya, wait up!"

Touya turned to see Bianca and Cheren running toward him. Touya smiled at them.

"Hey there, guys!" said Touya, waving to them.

"Hey Touya," said Cheren, "Bianca says that if we're starting a journey, she wants us to all take our first step at the same time."

"Really, Bianca?"

"Yeah! I mean, we've been best friends since we were kids! We've waiting for this day for years! If we're gonna start it, we should start it together!"

"That's a great idea, Bianca!" said Touya, happily.

"That's what I told her." said Cheren, smiling as he pushed his glasses up.

"Th-thank you so much!" said Bianca, still a little out of breath from running, "Let's go, let's go! Let's all take our first step on Route One together!"

With that, the trio turned to the Route together.

"Here we go," said Cheren.

"One," said Bianca, "Two..."

"Three!" said Touya.

They all entered Route One at the same time. Professor Juniper stood there with a confident grin as she watched the trio walk up to her.

"Hello Professor," said Touya.

"I'm sorry to have kept you waiting," Cheren said, adjusting his glasses.

"I wonder what will happen!" said Bianca, "Isn't this so exciting!?"

"Settle down, Bianca!" Professor Juniper said, still smiling, "Now that everyone's here, I'll explain! The Pokedex's pages update automatically whenever you meet a Pokemon! Moreover, it's set up so that you obtain even more information when you _catch_ a Pokemon! To make this clear, I'm going to demonstrate how to catch a Pokemon!"

Professor Juniper led the trio through the tall grass, looking about for any sign of life. Suddenly, the grass rustled and Professor Juniper let out an "Aha!" as a small brown rodent with bright eyes burst out of the grasses with a screech.

"A wild Patrat appeared!" said Professor Juniper, "Now watch this! Go Minccino!"

She pulled out a Pokeball and sent out a small, fluffy grey mammal. The Minccino squeaked loudly, looking at the Patrat with a grin. The Patrat was the first to move--it used an attack Touya recognized as Leer, glaring threateningly at Juniper's Minccino, who looked visibly frightened at it, as per the typical effect of the attack.

"Minccino, use Pound!"

Minccino ran at the Patrat and slammed into it with a loud squeak. The Patrat growled, falling over on the ground and trying to stand up, looking at Juniper threateningly. Professor Juniper smiled, seeing her chance.

"Go! Pokeball!" she called out, tossing a Pokeball at the Patrat. The Patrat was swiftly pulled into the Pokeball, which clamped shut. The ball wiggled a little, signifying that the Patrat was trying to fight its way out, but eventually it stopped. The Patrat was officially captured.

"Yes!" said Juniper, "Did you see that, just now?"

"Yeah," said Touya.

"Here's how it goes, step by step," said Professor Juniper, "First, reduce the Pokemon's HP! Pokemon that still have all their energy are difficult to catch. If you can, use your Pokemon's moves to make the Pokemon you want to catch fall asleep, or perhaps paralyze it!"

Touya looked at his friends. Cheren was nodding, looking very serious. Bianca was smiling and didn't appear to be paying attention. Touya wasn't either, but that was mostly because he already knew this stuff. His parents and sister were serious trainers and they had already told him all this many times. He learned about the use of Pokeballs and the art of battling and catching wild Pokemon in the tall grass. He was almost certain that Cheren and Bianca should have known as well, with their parents also being Pokemon trainers, but then again, they might not have--Cheren was one of those people who liked to _think_ he had all the answers but usually didn't and Bianca was smart but easily distracted. He was suddenly snapped away from his thoughts when he heard Professor Juniper go on...

"And to wrap this up in the best way, I have a gift for all of you!"

"A gift?" said Bianca, looking excited.

"Yes, Bianca!" responded Professor Juniper, "Some Pokeballs!"

She held out three bags of Pokeballs, one for each of them. Touya took his bag with a grin and placed the Pokeballs into a compartment in his bag. Cheren and Bianca did the same, Bianca looking extremely happy and Cheren sneering confidently. The three looked at Professor Juniper who went on.

"Pokeballs are used for catching Pokemon and for carrying the Pokemon you catch!" The Professor turned and added, waving.

"I'm going on ahead. I'll be waiting for you in Accumula Town!"

With that she left.

"Professor Juniper sure is excitable, isn't she?" asked Touya. 

Cheren frowned.

"She forgot to tell us that wild Pokemon will leap out at us in the tall grass," He said, "but we better get going! I'd bet the Professor is waiting for us at Accumula Town!"

Touya and Bianca both nodded in agreement.

"I think I'll go too," said Bianca, "I can't wait to buy more Pokeballs!"

As they were about to go, Bianca suddenly let out a yelp, prompting Cheren and Touya to turn and look at her, confused.

"I just had the BEST idea!" she said.

Touya smiled, Cheren just sighed.

"Would you just listen for a sec?" she asked, grinning, "Okay, why don't we see who can catch the most Pokemon? The one carrying the most Pokemon wins!"

"Including our starter?" asked Touya.

"Yep!"

"That actually sounds like a good idea," said Cheren, "It'll certainly help fill the Pokedex."

"I agree," said Touya, "I'll try it, if I can get Sir Hiss to cooperate..."

"Me and Oshawott will do our best too!" said Bianca.

With that, the three went their separate ways.

\----

A Patrat and a Lillipup wandered through the tall grass. Trainers often came through this route but Pokemon like them were often disregarded, probably because they were "common" or "weak". The Patrat refused to accept that though. She was strong and she wanted to prove that to these trainers. Her brother, the Lillipup, wanted to do the same, but he was meeker and more naive. Fortunately, when it came to him, his sister was very gentle. 

They had made a pact: If one of them is captured, they both get captured. 

Today, the two of them wandered in the grass, sniffing around and trying to find food. Suddenly, they both heard something.

"Sir Hiss! Tackle!"

A trainer! And he was looking for Pokemon to catch! The Patrat moved out first and the Lillipup waited in the grass...

\----

"Sir Hiss, use Tackle!"

Sir Hiss halfheartedly leaped at the angry looking Lillipup. The Lillipup simply dodged and ran off. Sir Hiss just shrugged and pointed to Touya's Pokeball, evidently wanting Touya to return him to it.

"Sir Hiss you're not even trying!" said Touya, "You're supposed to fight the other Pokemon!"

"Sssss," responded Sir Hiss.

Touya sighed. He heard another rustling in the grass and saw a Pidove emerge, pecking at the ground and cooing.

"Okay, Sir Hiss," said Touya, "Pidoves aren't very bright, so I think you can handle this one! Now go after it!"

Sir Hiss rolled his eyes and walked toward the Pidove.

"Sir Hiss, use tackle!"

Sir Hiss ran at the Pidove and tackled it, hard.

The Pidove collapsed on the ground.

"Great job, Sir Hiss, now how about you--wait, what are you doing?"

Sir Hiss opened his jaws wide and stuck the now panicked Pidove's head in his mouth, evidently prepared to swallow the (much larger) bird whole.

"SIR HISS NO! SPIT IT OUT NOW!"

Sir Hiss rolled his eyes again and spat out the bird, which flew off in a panic. Touya felt his palm hit his face and groaned. He was never going to get anywhere with this stubborn Pokemon. At this rate, he could probably look forward to Cheren gloating about having a full party and Bianca having at least one other Pokemon once he got to Accumula Town, while he's stuck with Sir Hiss. Then he remembered--his Pokedex! Maybe it would have some information on how to make this work.

Touya pulled his Pokedex out of his bag and activated it. Pulling a stilus out of the side he tapped on Snivy's entry, which was conveniently the first entry. It had a picture of the Pokemon on it, with a footprint and basic stats on it along with tabs that included "Area", "Cry" and "Forms".

The basic information wasn't promising. All it said was "Snivy is very intelligent and calm. Being exposed to lots of sunlight makes its movements swifter." The sunlight couldn't have been the problem; one couldn't ask for a clearer, brighter day. But something had to have been wrong here. Then he noticed something...a tab he hadn't seen before: Stats. Touya tapped it with the stilus and it said this:

_Nickname: Sir Hiss_   
_Species: Serperior_   
_Growth Stage: Snivy_   
_Level: 5_   
_Sex: Male_   
_Nature: Relaxed_

Touya read through these, noticing that they were mostly just basic stats--the next set was the Pokemon's height and weight--but then he saw this:

_Trainer Tips:_

This was the kind of thing Touya was hoping for. He began reading.

_Snivies are extremely vain and prone to seeing themselves as like royalty. This can make them a challenge to train as a result, as they'll often either ignore you or expect you to serve them, but it's still doable. The best thing to do is take a firm but loving hand when raising a Snivy; establish that you are the Snivy's trainer, not its servant, and that your job is to make it stronger. Snivies are extremely proud of their power, so any promise of strengthening said power will likely get them to comply with your commands. Earning a Snivy's trust can make it a valuable ally to a given Pokemon trainer._

Touya read through this and nodded in understanding. He looked up to see Sir Hiss, sitting on a rock and sunning himself.

"Sir Hiss!" he called.

Sir Hiss looked at him but otherwise didn't respond.

"Get over here," Touya said, firmly but calmly.

Sir Hiss ignored him.

"NOW."

This time Sir Hiss did respond and walked over to Touya with a look of surprise on his face. Touya knelt down and said, "Let's set some rules here, Sir Hiss. I am your trainer, you are my Pokemon. Together, we're partners, and I want you to do your share, okay? This includes fighting other Pokemon AND giving it your all when you do so. Remember, when you fight you'll get stronger. Don't you want that?"

Sir Hiss tilted his head looked at him with his large unblinking eyes. Then, he nodded.

"I can make you stronger, Sir Hiss," Touya went on, "but you have to do your part too. That includes listening to me when I tell you which move to use and using your strength when you need to or holding back when you don't. Do you understand?"

Sir Hiss stared again, before nodding.

"Alright," said Touya standing, "now let's try again. The next thing that comes out of the bushes will be the one we catch, okay?"

Sir Hiss nodded. He was smiling now, which was good...or at least, Touya _thought_ that was good.

Suddenly, the grass and bushes rustled and Touya and Sir Hiss turned to see a Patrat bursting out, scratching around.

"Okay, Sir Hiss," said Touya, "this time we'll actually fight and catch it!"

Sir Hiss nodded. Touya approached the Patrat which growled and hissed at his sight.

"Sir Hiss, go!"

Sir Hiss scrambled over to them and glared at the Patrat. The Patrat growled again, glaring at Sir Hiss.

"Sir Hiss, use Tail Whip!"

Sir Hiss listened to Touya this time. He leaped at the Patrat and swiped his long tail at it, smacking it down. The Patrat got angry and tackled him.

"Sir Hiss, tackle it!"

Sir Hiss nodded and headbutted the Patrat, which was promptly flung into the dust nearby. The Patrat gave an angry clicking noise as it glared at Touya and Sir Hiss. Touya could sense that it was weakened and took his chance, tossing a Pokeball at it. The Patrat predictably struggled to escape, but sure enough turned out to be caught.

"Yes!" said Touya excitedly--this was the first wild Pokemon he had ever caught. Sir Hiss grinned smugly as he headed over to Touya, holding out one of his claws for Touya to shake, apparently. Touya did so, smiling.

"Thanks, Sir Hiss! You helped me catch my first wild Pokemon!"

"Ssss!" said Sir Hiss.

He looked at the stats for his new Pokemon. He noticed that the Pokemon was female. He decided to nickname her "Prima", to reflect on how she was his first Pokemon.

Touya wandered along with Sir Hiss by his side. Sure enough, they found another Normal-type--a Lillipup. Touya didn't let it pass.

"Sir Hiss! Use tackle!"

Sir Hiss ran up to the Lillipup and slammed it into a nearby tree. The Lillipup went from cute to angry in a second and jumped at Sir Hiss, whom Touya ordered to dodge. Sir Hiss jumped out of the way and grinned smugly at the sight of the angry Lillipup glaring at him. Touya then called out "Tail whip!" to which Sir Hiss swiped at the Lillipup with his tail.

Touya tossed the Pokeball, capturing the Lillipup in the process. He smiled and checked the stats--it was a male Lillipup and a mix of the ruffled fur on his face and the fact that he was a dog led Touya to call him Ruff.

Touya turned to look at Sir Hiss, who smirked again. Touya just gave him a thumbs up and the two continued on.

\----

_Patrat_   
_Prima_   
_Gentle Nature_   
_Route 1_   
_Met at Level 4_   
_Proud of her power_

_Lillipup_   
_Ruff_   
_Naive Nature_   
_Route 1_   
_Met at Level 4_   
_Likes to thrash about_

\----

"Touya!" said Bianca, as Touya arrived at the outside of Route One, "Have you caught anything new?"

"Yes!" said Touya, "I caught a Lillipup and a Patrat."

"Wow!" said Bianca, "Three Pokemon? Awesome!"

"Especially since both Bianca and I have two." said Cheren, who was standing next to her.

"Wow," said Touya, "So that means I win!"

"Incidentally," said Cheren as Bianca giggled, "if you check your Pokedex, it'll show you how many Pokemon you've caught along with the ones you've seen. I'm headed for Accumula Town! The Professor is waiting!"

"Wait for me!" said Bianca.

Before the two of them, could go on, Touya heard his Tranciever buzzing, as did the others.

"Hello! How is everybody doing? You and your Pokémon are getting along great now, right?"

"Oh! Professor!" said Bianca.

Cheren and Touya both looked at Bianca's XTranceiver, realizing that she was the first to answer.

"I'm standing in front of the Pokemon Center in Accumula Town! I'd like to show you around, so come on and hurry up!"

"Yes ma'am!" said all kids.

"Okay, see you there!"

With that, she hung up. Cheren looked up and adjusted his glasses again.

"Well, I'll be going on ahead." he said before leaving.

"Wait for us!" shouted Bianca as she and Touya followed.

\----

They had arrived in Accumula Town. It was a small, quaint town with tall buildings here and there, lots of hills (one of which having a large schoolhouse on it) and in the foreground, a large building with a red roof that Touya recognized as a Pokemon Center.

Touya had been to a Pokemon Center a few times before, seeing as his mother's best friend worked at one, but he had never been in there to actually heal up a Pokemon.

"Hey guys!" said Professor Juniper, standing at the front desk next to a smiling woman with long pink hair, "Welcome to the Pokemon Center! Don't you feel so much better as soon as you walk through that door?"

"I kind of do," said Touya, "my mom used to take me to these places sometimes."

"Really?" asked Professor Juniper, "Perhaps you could give us the tour then!"

"Well," said Touya, "that's the machine that heals up the Pokemon. You just give the nurse your Pokeballs and she'll place them on the machine to heal them."

"That's pretty much how that works, yes!" said Juniper.

"Will we have to pay for this?" asked Cheren.

"Not at all!" said a voice. Cheren, Bianca and Touya turned to see a man standing behind another counter with a sign over it that said "PokeMart".

"The Centers get all of their funding from purchaces here at the PokeMarts!"

"That's...new." said Touya.

Juniper chuckled and said, "How 'bout you guys heal up your Pokemon!"

Touya walked up to Nurse Joy, who smiled vacantly at him.

"Hello," she said, in a very...odd voice, "Would you like to rest your Pokemon?"

"Yes," said Touya, handing her his Pokemon.

"Okay, I'll take your Pokemon for a few seconds."

She placed the three Pokeballs on the machine and turned it on. The Pokeballs started glowing before being returned to Touya.

"Here you go. All happy and healthy."

Touya nodded uncomfortably. There was something unsettling about the nurse...she was a little bit _too_ happy.

"We hope to see you again soon." she said, her grin widening. At this, Touya felt slightly scared and backed away from the nurse while waiting for his friends to heal their Pokemon.

\----

Touya purchased some Pokeballs as did Bianca and Cheren. As the three of them headed out to the square, they saw a very strange looking man, standing in the middle of the square and flanked by two people. All three of them were strange looking, actually, but the one in the middle was the strangest--he was an older gentleman, dressed in long, brightly colored robes that had massive eyelike patterns on them. His hair was a faded green, with three points on it and one of his red eyes was covered by a strange sort of lens. The two others were dressed in white robes and had hoods over their heads with red hair sticking out. There was a crowd of people surrounding them, and Touya and Cheren decided to get closer and listen while Bianca spoke with Professor Juniper.

"My name is Ghetsis," said the older gentleman with a pleasant but cocky looking grin, "I am here representing Team Plasma. Today, ladies and gentlemen, I would like to talk to you about Pokemon liberation."

"Liberation?" asked Cheren, looking at Touya in concern. The two listened on.

"I'm sure most of you believe that we humans and Pokemon are partners who work and live together as equals. However...is that really the truth? Have you ever considered that perhaps we humans only _assume_ that this is the truth?"

Touya swallowed. He didn't like where this man was going with this.

"Pokemon are subject to the selfish commands of trainers!"

"Selfish?" scoffed Cheren incredulously, "This man isn't worth listening to!"

"Shh!" said a woman from the crowd.

"They get pushed around when they are our 'partners' at work! Can anyone say with confidence that my words are not true? Now ladies and gentlemen, Pokemon are different from humans. They are living things with so much unknown potential! They are living beings from whom we humans have so much to learn! Tell me! What is our responsibility toward thes wonderful beings called Pokemon?"

The crowd murmured in astonishment. Touya and Cheren just looked at each other in worry.

"That's right!" said the man named Ghetsis, "We must liberate the Pokemon! Then and ONLY then, will humans and Pokemon can truly be equal! Everyone, I end my words today by imploring you to consider the relationship between humans and Pokemon...and the correct way to proceed."

He appeared to have a sinister glint in his eyes when he said those last words. Touya felt slightly frightened by that.

"We sincerely appreciate your attention and support."

With that, Ghetsis and the two people who accompanied him left, leaving the crowd alone with their thoughts and worries.

"Could what he's saying be true?"

"Are we really hurting our Pokemon?"

"Release my Pokemon? I could never do that!"

Touya turned his attention to a man standing on the other side of the square, leaning against a tree. He hadn't noticed him before, but now he was surprised that he hadn't, seeing as the man was very distinct in his appearance.

He appeared to be a couple years older than Touya and his friends, and he was... _beautiful_. Touya wasn't usually one to immediately jump to such adjectives, especially in regards to people he didn't know very well, but in his mind that was the first word he could think of to describe this man. He was tall and slim, with long hair that was the same faded green color as Ghetsis'. He had fair skin and delicate features, and he was dressed mostly in white. Oh yes, he was definitely beautiful...but...

...something about him was also fairly unsettling. He smiled in a way that didn't look friendly or sincere--it didn't look artificial like Nurse Joy's nor did it look menacing like Ghetsis'. He wasn't sure how to describe it.

Oddly enough, there was something about the man that was familiar...but Touya couldn't quite put his finger on why...

"Can you believe him, Touya?" asked Cheren.

Touya snapped out of his haze.

"Oh, yeah."

"Anyway," said Cheren, "let's get Bianca and get out of here."

"Hello."

Touya and Cheren turned around to see the man Touya had seen walking over to them.

"Pardon me for interrupting you," he said, "but your Pokemon...just now it was saying..."

"Slow down!" said Cheren, "You're talking to much. And what's this nonsense about Pokemon talking?"

The man gave a somewhat more sincere looking smile.

"Oh right, I forgot," he said, condescendingly, "you can't understand them. How sad."

Cheren gawked incredulously and Touya laughed a little. Cheren was his friend, but it was nice to see him get a taste of his own smug medicine every now and then.

"My name is N," said the man, holding out a hand for Touya to shake and ignoring Cheren.

"Nice to meet you," said Touya, shaking N's hand, "My name's Touya."

"And I'm Cheren!" said Cheren angrily, "We've just set out on our journey to become Pokemon trainers! My main goal is to become the Champion!"

"And I'm just hoping to fill out the Pokedex," said Touya.

"Oh...the _Pokedex_..." said N.

"Is...Is there a problem?" asked Touya, wondering if his comment had offended N in some way.

"Oh, it's nothing," said N, "It's just that, in order to do that you're going to have to confine many, many unfortunate Pokemon in Pokeballs for that..."

"Well, it's not as though I'm gonna keep them in there forever..."

"I know. You'll let them out to make them fight with their own kind, so you can repeat the process..."

"...And also so they can just eat, get some fresh air and exercise?"

N looked at Touya with a somewhat surprised expression, as if the mere idea of a trainer caring about the health and wellness of his Pokemon was a completely alien concept to him.

"Well...I'm a trainer too," said N, lowering the bill of his cap to obscure his eyes a little and looking very serious, "But I can't help but wonder if Pokemon are really happy that way."

"I think they are." said Touya.

"Well then let's see if you're right, Touya," said N, "Let me hear your Pokemon's voice again...let's have a battle."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope this wasn't too long ^_^; looking at my outline a little, I think I went a little overboard with how much I was logging while playing the game.
> 
> Before anyone jumps on me about the Pokedex thing referring to Sir Hiss' species as "Serperior", I want to point out that I go by the interpretation that a Pokemon's pre-evolutions are separate growth stages, hence why there's a listing directly below it that says "Growth Stage: Snivy". In essence, Sir Hiss is only a baby right now, as a Servine he'll be a subadult/adolescent and as Serperior he'll be an adult. I consider the final stage of the evolution to be the default name of a given Pokemon's "species".
> 
> That said, I don't know how to explain the Eeveelutions...
> 
> Oh, and I've changed N's age from somewhere in his 20s to at most 17. Why? You'll see why. In fact, if you know me, you might already know why ;)
> 
> Also, Creepy!Nurse Joy is best Nurse Joy!
> 
> Edit 3/7/2017: Part of my editing spree-added some personality to the Pokemon


	3. Battles and Surprises

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, I don't have much to say here besides enjoy this new chapter!

"Let me hear your Pokemon's voice again...let's have a battle."

Touya looked at N in surprise. Wasn't this man just saying that he didn't like Pokemon battles? Not to mention he looked at least three years older than him...he was almost certainly more experienced, and likely had more than three Pokemon. Turning to Cheren, Touya questioned what he should do. Cheren, however, seemed to be urging him to do it, quite eagerly in fact.

"Go ahead, Touya!" he said, "It'll be great practice!"

"Well, okay," said Touya, "but I'm a beginner so go easy on me..."

"I make no promises," said N, grinning as he pulled out a Pokeball, "fortunately for you, I only have one Pokemon at the moment!"

This confused Touya...sure enough, N sent out a small, purple cat cub with yellow spots and large eyes.

_"A Purrloin..."_

"Go, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss came out, arms crossed and eyes set. Purrloin sneered and hissed, while Sir Hiss rolled his eyes.

"Purrloin," said N, "use Growl!"

Purrloin growled loudly, causing Sir Hiss' attack to drop. Sir Hiss looked at Touya for guidance.

 _"That's odd,"_ thought Touya, _"he didn't start with an offensive move..."_

"Sir Hiss," said Touya, "tackle it!"

Sir Hiss leaped and smacked straight into the Purrloin, who slammed backwards, but managed to hold his ground.

"Purrloin! Use Scratch!"

Purrloin ran over to Sir Hiss and swiped at him with his claws. Touya felt a little afraid...he could see blood being drawn.

"Keep it up, Touya!" said N, enthusiastically, "I want to hear your Pokemon's voice!"

Touya gritted his teeth. Sir Hiss was glaring at the Purrloin, who looked at him with a sneer. N commanded another attack against Sir Hiss and Purrloin sliced at him with his claws again. With each swipe, Touya could see blood being drawn. The cat was whittling down Sir Hiss' HP and he didn't know what to do.

"Sir Hiss! Tackle it again!"

Sir Hiss was enduring each scratch, struggling through the pain. The little grass snake looked at his opponent and leaped up before smacking into him. The Purrloin looked at Sir Hiss angrily and tried again to swipe at him, but Sir Hiss was faster and dodged.

"Now use Tail Whip!" shouted Touya. 

Sir Hiss had obeyed, but not in the way Touya had expected--standing up, Sir Hiss shot a pair of vines from his shoulder collar. Touya, Cheren and N stared in mutual shock as Purrloin was lifted into the air by the long vines and tossed onto the ground below. After struggling for a few moments to get back up, Purrloin collapsed and didn't move. N looked up at Touya, who jumped excitedly, picking up Sir Hiss and hugging him while Cheren cheered in the background.

N was plenty surprised that he lost and was extremely concerned for his friend, but he was even more surprised and concerned by what Sir Hiss was saying to Touya...

_"Thank you, Trainer! I love winning!"_

"I never thought I'd hear a Pokemon say that..."

"Great battle, huh N?" asked Touya, holding out a hand for the other young man to shake.

But to his and Cheren's surprise, N had already left.

\----

Elsewhere, N had healed up his Purrloin and opened its Pokeball, releasing it. The cat looked up at him with a smile before running off into the tall grass, back into the wild it called home.

"As long as Pokemon are confined in Pokeballs," said N, "they'll never become perfect beings."

Standing up in the tall grass, he listened to the voices of the Pokemon all around him.

"I have to change this world for them...because they're my friends."

\----

"Huh," said Cheren, "strange guy."

Touya nodded in agreement. He looked around for where N might have gone.

"But I won't worry about it," Cheren went on, "trainers and Pokemon help each other out! Listen, I'm gonna go on ahead to the next town, Striaton City! I wanna challenge the Gym Leaders there!"

"What are the Gym Leaders there like?" asked Touya.

"I hear they comparatively easy," said Cheren, "primarily 'cause they're young. Doesn't matter to me, though, 'cause I'm aiming to be the champion! And the best way to get stronger is to defeat every Gym Leader out there!"

"I suppose I could go after the Gym Leaders too. Just because."

"You better not be bucking for championship," said Cheren, teasingly, "'Cause that's MINE!"

Touya just laughed.

"Don't worry, Cheren," said Touya, "I won't take away your title."

Cheren grinned and said, "I'll see you later! Maybe we'll meet at the Gym!"

With that, he left.

\----

Touya went to the Pokemon Center and healed his Pokemon while Bianca talked to Professor Juniper about the PCs.

"Say, Professor," asked Bianca, "the screen says 'Someone's PC', who is 'Someone'?"

Touya was quite curious about this too. He received Sir Hiss back and walked over to her and the Professor (making absolutely sure to get as far away from Nurse Joy as possible in the process).

"A very good question, Bianca," said Professor Juniper, "I can't explain in detail right now, but 'someone' is the person who made the Pokemon storage system! You'll meet her soon enough!"

"The Pokemon storage system is there because we can only carry six Pokemon with us at a time, right Professor?" asked Touya, inquisitively. He was always fascinated by the PC system and how it worked.

"Very good, Touya! Whenever you catch a Pokemon and have a full party, the new Pokemon you catch is automatically transferred to the PC. Of course, if you have access to a PC, you can retrieve the Pokemon whenever you feel like it! By the way, Touya, how is your starter doing?"

"Sir Hiss is doing fine," said Touya, "I battled a guy named N with him, and I think he learned a new move. It looked like Vine Whip."

"Shall I look at him?" asked Juniper. Touya handed Sir Hiss' Pokeball to her and she let him out, examining him.

"Hmm," she said, "he looks like he's leveled up a little!"

"Really?" asked Touya, feeling a little excited--if Sir Hiss leveled up already, then he must be a good trainer.

"So he's already level six?" asked Bianca.

"Level _seven!_ " said Professor Juniper.

"What!?" asked Touya and Bianca both in unison. 

"Yeah," said Juniper, "It seems he's leveled up twice in a row!"

"Wow!" said Bianca, "Touya, you're really good, aren't you!"

"I guess so," said Touya, smiling as he petted Sir Hiss. Sir Hiss just swished his tail back and forth and grinned at Touya. He couldn't help but feel like their bond was growing stronger. Smiling, Touya allowed Sir Hiss to crawl up his arm and curl around his neck, grinning and looking up at him.

"You two have gotten pretty close already," said the Professor, "especially since Snivy isn't an easy Pokemon to train most of the time."

"I laid out some ground rules at Route One," said Touya, scratching his Pokemon's head, "I just took some cues from the Pokedex's trainer tips!"

"The Pokedex has tips?" asked Bianca, looking surprised.

"Of course, Bianca," said Juniper, "you didn't know that?"

"Ehhh..." Bianca laughed nervously.

"Nevermind," said Juniper, "just try to remember what you're learning. By the way, how is Oshawott?"

Bianca smiled.

"Oshawott's doing well," she said, "he's learned some new moves, like Water Gun and he's been fighting pretty hard."

"Can I see him too?"

"Of course, Professor!"

Bianca let Oshawott out. He emerged holding his shell and looking ready to fight whichever foe he might have been sent to "battle". When he realized he wasn't sent out to fight anyone, he looked surprised and a little confused before looking up at Bianca.

"The Professor wants to look over you a little Oshawott," said Bianca with a smile. Oshawott sighed as the Professor picked him up and looked at him.

\----

"Ruff, use tackle!"

Ruff ran at the other Lillipup and tackled it to the ground. The Lillipup wasn't deterred. It growled and barked, running at him and hitting him with a Quick Attack. Ruff growled back and tackled it again before Touya called him back.

"Prima, you take care of it now! Hit it with a Leer!"

Prima leered at the Lillipup, throwing it off balance.

"Great! Now tackle it!"

Prima did just that. She charged head first at the Lillipup and slammed into it at full force. It trembled for a moment, looking at Prima in anger and fear. Touya called Prima back and let out Sir Hiss.

"Sir Hiss, finish it with a Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss summoned his vines and sent them at the Lillipup, smacking it several times until it finally gave up and retreated into the tall grass. Touya smiled as he checked all his Pokemon's stats in the Pokedex. They were all gaining more experience, which meant that they were getting closer to leveling up. Touya smiled and let the two other Pokemon from their Pokeballs and decided to give them a celebratory lunch.

Sitting in the grass, he opened his bag to get out the food he had packed for the journey, some sandwiches for himself and some foods for the Pokemon he bought at the Center--frozen Rattatas for Sir Hiss, some fruits and berries for Prima and dog treats for Ruff. The Pokemon ate enthusiastically while Touya watched with a smile, eating his sandwich. Suddenly, he heard his XTransciever ringing and opened it to hear his mom's voice.

"Hi mom!" said Touya.

"Hello, Touya," said Mom, "How are things?"

"Fine, mom!"

"Are you and your Pokemon getting along and enjoying your journey so far?"

"Yes," said Touya, "we're having lunch right now. Well, Prima and Ruff are wrestling right now."

Mom just chuckled and said, "Well, I need to talk to you so I'm hanging up the XTranciever now."

"Wait, what?" asked Touya.

"Hello!"

"AH!"

"SSS!"

"CHCK!"

"BARK!"

Touya turned around to see his mother standing there with a smile and holding a box under her arm.

"Surprised?" she asked.

"Um, yeah! How did you get here so fast?"

"A little trick I learned from a Nurse Joy a while back," she said, smiling, "more importantly, I have a gift for you!"

She handed him the box. Touya opened it to find that it was a pair of running shoes. 

"I had them stashed somewhere and I found them while I was cleaning up! I figured you would need them for your trip to Striaton City--Cheren told me about it!"

"Wow," said Touya, smiling, "thanks mom!"

"You're very welcome, honey," she said as her son put the running shoes on, "you know you're never alone, son. You have your Pokemon, your friends and you're always in my thoughts."

"Of course, mom," said Touya, smiling fondly at her as Sir Hiss clambered onto his shoulder and Prima and Ruff jumped to his side.

"That's alright, then," she said hugging him, before heading off, "Enjoy your journey dear, and be safe!"

"I will, mom!" said Touya, "See you later!"

"Love you sweetie!"

"Love you too!"

With that, she left and Touya smiled. He then noticed Sir Hiss snickering.

"Shut up, Sir Hiss." said Touya, annoyed and blushing a little. He returned Prima and Ruff to their Pokeballs and continued on, deciding to try running this time now that he had the running shoes. As he ran however, he suddenly tripped over something. He turned in annoyance and Sir Hiss jumped down to look at what it was...it was a Potion?

"Who'd leave a perfectly good Potion in the grass?" Touya asked aloud as he picked up the bottle. He stashed it into his bag and picked up Sir Hiss, heading off to Striaton City.

\----

Touya had finished battling with two other trainers. Sir Hiss had leveled up again and learned the move Wrap. Touya wasn't sure what that did, but he liked the idea that Sir Hiss could use another move.

"Heey! Touya!"

Touya turned to see Bianca running (and stumbling) towards him.

"Hey there Bianca!" said Touya, smiling, "Did you catch anything new?"

"Yeah," said Bianca, "and I want to challenge you to a battle!"

"Really?" asked Touya, alarmed.

"Yes! Pleeeease? The Pokemon I caught have gotten stronger!"

Touya smiled and sighed.

"Alright, alright, let's go ahead."

"Yes! GO LILLIPUP!"

A Lillipup burst out of Bianca's Pokeball and bounced around cheerfully. Touya smiled and sent out Sir Hiss.

"Lillipup, use tackle!"

Lillipup jumped at Sir Hiss who dodged without much trouble. Touya called out "Tackle it back!"

Sir Hiss tackled the Lillipup in turn, but she was able to hold her ground. Bianca called out for the Lillipup to use Leer, prompting her to glare at Sir Hiss and throw him off his balance.

"Don't let it freak you out too much, Sir Hiss," said Touya, "use Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss let out his vines, swiping at the Lillipup, trying to hit her as she dodged.

"Yes Lillipup! Dodge!" shouted Bianca...but then she noticed something, "Wait..."

Lillipup was beginning to succumb to fatigue as she tried to escape from Sir Hiss' vines. Sir Hiss, meanwhile, was simply standing there swiping with his vines, not having to move himself that much and thus not having to expend too much energy. The grass snake watched calmly as the Lillipup eventually just fell over from exhaustion. Touya smiled proudly as he looked at his Pokemon, who looked back at him with a grin. Touya gave him a thumb's up while Bianca returned her Lillipup.

"Great strategy, Sir Hiss," said Touya, "let's see what Bianca has next!"

"Okay, this little one is up next!" shouted Bianca. She sent out Oshawott, who crossed his front paws and looked incredibly serious, which Touya wasn't able to take seriously at all because of how cute the critter was. The Oshawott glared at Sir Hiss, who just rolled his eyes and gave a look that said "let's get this over with".

Sir Hiss attempted the same strategy again, but Oshawott leaped away and jumped behind Sir Hiss. Caught off guard, Sir Hiss tried to turn and whip him, but Oshawott hit him with a Water Gun, propelling him backwards. Sir Hiss glared at him.

"Sir Hiss, use tackle!"

Sir Hiss did just that. He ran towards Oshawott and tried to hit him but Oshawott dodged, standing on one of his forelegs and then turning to smack Sir Hiss away with his tail. Sir Hiss' forked tongue flicked out of his mouth as he hissed in irritation as Oshawott stood up straight. Touya and Bianca watched intently. Then Touya remembered...

"Sir Hiss, use Wrap!"

Sir Hiss grinned and jumped on Oshawott, his body elongating and coiling around Oshawott, constricting him tightly. Oshawott let out a scream and struggled to free himself, but Sir Hiss' coils just tightened around him as he kept up the constriction.

"Uh-oh..." said Bianca, "Oshawott return!"

Oshawott was returned to his Pokeball and sighed.

"I couldn't win..." she said, looking sad.

Touya felt a little upset when she said this. Bianca was one of his best friends, he didn't want her to feel bad. He was about to say something to her but before he could, she put on a smile and said, "Heh, you're a tough cookie, Touya!"

"Uh...right," said Touya, "look Bianca, I'm sorry for being so hard there, I didn't expect Sir Hiss to strategize all of a sudden..."

Sir hiss shot an annoyed and somewhat insulted glare at him.

"Oh, it's fine," said Bianca, smiling, "I'm gonna go train more so I won't lose as much, okay? I'll see ya later!"

"Wait!" said Touya, "Are you headed to Striaton City?"

"Yes," said Bianca, "why?"

"Cheren's going there too," said Touya, "he wants to challenge the Gym Leaders there."

"Oh," said Bianca, perking up a little more, "do you want to meet him there?"

"Yeah," said Touya, "he's probably there right now, plus we could heal up our Pokemon at their Pokemon Center."

"That sounds like a great idea!"

Touya smiled and the two headed off to Striaton City together.

To be continued...


	4. The Trio Badge (part one)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Argh! I really need to stop changing the number of chapters around! I didn't expect to have to cut this one into two parts. Unfortunately, I'm no longer sure of how many chapters this story will have. I will tentatively consider it to be forty for now, but until then, I'll try to keep you posted. And now, sleep.

Touya and Bianca had finally made it to Striaton City and healed up their Pokemon at the local Pokemon Center. Striaton City was an interesting place, with larger buildings than the ones in the previous town and a rather vast garden to the west. Bianca had headed off to check them both into the local hotel, having gotten a call from Cheren, who had already checked in himself.

"Cheren says to look for the gym leader at the Trainer School!" said Bianca, as she wrote her and Touya's names on the check-in list.

Touya arrived at the Trainer School that afternoon. He could see no Gym Leaders, but instead a lot of kids there, happy to learn more about Pokemon training. In fact, one of them looked like...

"Cheren?"

Sure enough, Cheren was standing at the blackboard, reading off some of the lines written on it.

"'When a Pokémon is poisoned, its HP decreases while it is battling'," he said, before turning to see Touya and then looking back at the board, "Hey Touya, are you looking for the Gym Leader?"

"Yeah," said Touya, "Bianca said that you said he'd be here."

"Yes, he was here talking about Pokemon types until just a few minutes ago. You may have walked passed him without even noticing. By the way, would you like to have a battle with me? I bought some items and I want to see how important they are in battle."

"I don't see why not."

"Alright then," said Cheren, his eyes gleaming with confidence, "Let's see how effective my items are...or maybe I should test how well I can battle without them? Either way, let's battle without getting too rough. We are indoors after all."

"Hey!"

The two turned around to see some enthusiastic looking schoolkids, staring intently at them. The teacher smiled at them.

"Are you guys gonna have a battle?" asked a little boy.

"Yes," said Cheren.

"You kids wanna watch?" asked Touya, smiling at them.

"Yeah!" said all the kids at once.

"It would be a wonderful learning experience!" said the teacher.

"Alright then," said Cheren, "Let's give 'em a show!"

Touya sent out Sir Hiss and Cheren sent out his Tepig. Tepig was gripping a round blue berry and grinning at Touya and Sir Hiss.

"That's an Oran berry," said Cheren, "it can heal Tepig by ten HP points if he gets hurt!"

"Ooooh..." said the kids, amazed.

Touya smiled.

"Well, Tepig's gonna need a lot of those! Sir Hiss, use Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss' whips emerged grom his shoulders and her swiped them at Tepig, who tried to dodge. The whips managed to cut him a little, but a quick nibble on the berry helped the scratches heal.

"Tepig," said Cheren, "use Ember!"

Tepig let out a cheerful oink and shot small flames out of his nostrils. Sir Hiss' eyes widened and he jumped out of the way in a panic. Touya hadn't forgotten that Tepig had a type advantage.

"Sir Hiss, fall back!"

Sir Hiss leaped back, his tongue darting out and his eyes glaring at Tepig. Tepig seemed to flash a tusked grin and glared back at the grass snake. Touya returned Snivy and sent out Prima in his place. The Patrat was sent out with her sharp eyes flashing. Tepig used Ember again, and Prima dodged.

"Prima," called out Touya, "use Tackle!"

Prima ran as fast as she could at Tepig, smacking into him and tackling him to the ground. Tepig's Oran berry had fallen out of his hooves and he looked at it in a panic. Tepig attempted to crawl back over to it but Prima dragged him back and bit him on the cheek. A loud squeal escaped the Pokemon's snout and Cheren returned him. 

"Purrloin, go!"

The children watched in awe as Cheren tossed out another Pokeball and summoned a sleek looking young Purrloin, grinning and licking his paws. Touya returned Prima and sent out Ruff. It was a classic confrontation: Dog vs. Cat.

"Purrloin, use Scratch!"

Purrloin jumped into the air, baring its claws and scratched at Ruff. Ruff looked angrily at the cat and turned to Touya expentantly.

"Don't be discouraged, Ruff," said Touya, "tackle him!"

Ruff made the same move Prima did. He ran and bodyslammed the Purrloin. Purrloin glared at him. Touya and Cheren looked at each other intensly. Touya turned to Ruff who was wagging his tail.

"Ruff, use another Tackle!"

Ruff ran at Purrloin and sent him flying.

"Purrloin, return!" shouted Cheren. Purrloin was promptly absorbed back into Cheren's Pokeball.

Touya heaved a heavy sigh before petting Ruff and returning him to his Pokeball. Cheren turned to the now clapping kids and smiled.

"That's a Pokemon battle for you, kids!" he said.

"An excellent presentation too!" said the teacher, smiling. She herded the kids back to their desks as Touya and Cheren left the school. 

"Moves that never miss and moves that always go first," said Cheren, somewhat whistfully, "there sure are a lot of moves."

"Yeah," said Touya, smiling at his friend as they walked off in the direction of the Pokemon Center to heal their Pokemon.

"Well," added Cheren as they entered the center, "losing to you has shown me that I have a lot to learn. In the meantime, take these."

Cheren gave Touya some Oran berries, the same kind Tepig was holding.

"Like I said, they help restore some HP if your Pokemon is hurt. And did you know that they were named after the man who discovered them?"

"I did not," said Touya, "cool!"

After they healed their Pokemon, they headed back to the Striaton Hotel. It was getting dark.

"I'm gonna hit the hay," said Cheren, "I wanna be well rested when I battle the Striaton Gym Leaders tomorrow."

"I'll probably turn in early too," said Touya, "see you tomorrow, Cheren. Oh, Bianca's staying in room 304."

"Good to know."

\-----

The next day, Touya woke up, showered, dressed and packed his things for the Gym battle. He had headed down to the dining room of the hotel to find Bianca, sitting at a nearby table with a plate of fried eggs and waffles in front of her.

"Hey Touya!" she called out, "I saved you a seat and got you some food!"

"Thanks," said Touya, sitting down to eat, "is Cheren here?"

"No," said Bianca, looking a little bit annoyed, "he's already rushed to fight the Gym Leaders. He didn't even eat breakfast."

Touya chuckled. "Same old Cheren..."

"I wish he could just slow down a little. He wants to be the champion, I understand that, but he's pushing himself too hard! Not to mention he's totally ignoring us..."

"Wait, are you annoyed at him ignoring _us_ or just _you_?" Touya asked, with a knowing grin on his face.

Bianca blushed and turned away, sticking a piece of egg in her mouth with an angry look on her face. Touya could only stifle a laugh as he continued with his own breakfast.

\-----

Touya had headed to the Gym after breakfast and saw a young man standing in front of it, sweeping with a broom. He was a somewhat tall, handsome man who appeared to be somewhere in his late teens or early twenties. He had green hair and green eyes and was dressed like...a waiter?

"Hey there, sir," said Touya, somewhat nervously, "are you one of the Gym Leaders here?"

The man looked at him and smiled.

"Why yes, I am," he said, "my name is Cilan, and my brothers and I are the leaders of the Striaton City Gym. Are you here to challenge us?"

"Yes," said Touya, trying to seem more confident, "My name is Touya Black, I'm a new trainer from Nuvema Town, and one of three students of Professor Juniper."

"A professor's student, huh? I suppose that means you'll be filling a Pokedex?"

"Yes sir."

"I see. Touya, which Pokemon did you choose as your starter?"

"A Snivy."

"Ah, the Grass-type. In that case, you'll likely be facing against my brother Chili, the Fire-type specialist. You might want to do some training before you fight him."

"Right," said Touya, relaxing a little, "where should I do that?"

"The Dreamyard to the east is a good place to start," Cilan pointed in that direction, "there are lots of Pokemon there, including Audinos. They give a lot of experience when you fight them. And there are probably other trainers there as well, probably working toward the same goal you are."

"Thank you, sir." said Touya as he headed in that direction.

"You're welcome," said Cilan, "and Touya?"

"Yes sir?"

"You can just call me Cilan."

"R-Right."

\-----

"Wow," said a young lass named Eri as she returned her second Purrloin, "you're good, kid! I think your Lilipup learned a new move!"

"Yeah," said Touya, smiling, "I'd never seen him actually _bite_ anyone before! What's that move called again?"

"Bite, duh!"

"Right," said Touya, blushing, "you did a good job too."

"Thank you," said Eri, as she turned to head over to the Pokemon Center, "we ought to do it again sometime!"

Touya smiled. The Dreamyard was indeed a good place for training. Ruff had not only learned Bite, but according to the Pokedex, he had managed to go up two whole levels, just like Sir Hiss did the previous day. As Touya continued into the Dreamyard, he bumped into a young woman standing nearby.

"Oh," said the girl, "hello there!"

"Hi," said Touya, "my name's Touya. Are you a Pokemon trainer?"

"Yeah," said the girl, "well, technically I'm a breeder. I couldn't help but notice that you came in here for some training. Are you planning to fight the Gym Leaders?"

"Oh, yes I am."

"Hmm...I also noticed that you have a Pokedex, so I'm assuming you're a student of a Pokemon Professor?"

"Professor Juniper, yes."

"And which starter did you choose?"

"The Grass-type, Snivy. Cilan told me that this means I'll have to face the Gym Leader with a type advantage to mine."

"He was correct," said the girl, "you'll need an edge for that, and I can give you that edge if you like."

She pulled two Pokeballs from her bag, one with a water droplet insignia and the other with a flame on it.

"These two Pokeballs each contain one of the three elemental monkey Pokemon, Pansage, Pansear and Panpour. I already gave Pansage to another trainer, so I can give you the Water-type Panpour if you like."

Touya smiled. Of course he liked the idea. Not only would he have an advantage against the Gym Leader, but more importantly he'd have a new Pokemon to register to the Pokedex. He took the Pokeball with the water drop on it and said "I would like that, thank you!"

"You're welcome," said the girl, smiling, "I'm glad I found a new home for Panpour too. Are you gonna nickname her?"

"I nickname all of my Pokemon," said Touya, "I think I'll call her Sea Monkey."

He let out his new Panpour, and sure enough a blue and yellow monkey with white eyes and a tuft of hair on her head, burst out of it. Touya knelt down and shook the little monkey's hand.

"Welcome to the team, Sea Monkey!"

_Panpour_   
_Sea Monkey_   
_Jolly Nature_   
_Dreamyard_   
_Met at Level 10_   
_Quick tempered_

\-----

When Touya decided that he was ready to fight the Gym Leader, he entered the Gym. The Gym was rather unlike a Gym, as Touya would have imagined--he had assumed that a Gym would have a huge stadium in it with stands for people to watch the battle. But this one looked more like a restaurant. In fact, it WAS a restaurant, with tables several people were sitting at and eating lunch or sipping tea, waiters and waitresses serving the customers, and a large runway that the three Gym Leaders were standing on.

Touya had recognized Cilan already. Two other boys were seated on either side of him. One was a red headed man with a huge, energetic looking grin on his face--Touya guessed that this was the Fire-type specialist and his opponent. The other was a somewhat cocky looking young man with long blue hair that covered half of his face. He must have been the Water-type specialist. Touya approached them nervously, his heart beating quickly as he entered his first Gym battle.

"Hello there," said Touya, "my name is Touya Black from Nuvema Town and I'm here to challenge the Striaton Gym Leader."

"Is this the kid you told me about, Cilan?" asked the red haired man.

"Yes, Chili." said Cilan.

"Alright then!" said Chili, "Hey there, Touya! My name's Chili and I'll be your opponent today!"

Touya got up onto the stage and took a deep breath. Cilan and the other brother whose name Touya didn't know stood up and grabbed a couple of microphones.

"Looks like we'll be having a second battle, folks!" said the blue haired one, "The challenger is Touya Black from Nuvema Town! This is Cress, your other Gym Leader commenting on his brother's latest fight!"

"It's okay to be nervous, kid," said Chili, grinning, "just focus on the battle, 'kay!"

"Ah, right," said Touya, blushing a little. He had to admit, this felt a little more public than he would have liked, what with the people seated at the tables and Chili's brothers announcing the whole thing to everyone.

"Go, Pansear!" shouted Chili, releasing a fiery red monkey onto the stage.

"Go, Sea Monkey!" called out Touya. Sea Monkey appeared in front of the Pansear.

"Pansear," called out Chili, "use Fury Swipes!"

Pansear scratched at Sea Monkey at rapid-fire speed, panicking her a bit as she tried to fight back.

"Pansear uses Fury Swipes and it's super effective!" called out Cilan into his microphone.

"Sea Monkey!"

When Pansear was done, Sea Monkey looked up angrily. Blind though she was, she seemed to be glaring at Pansear.

"Sea Monkey, use Scratch!"

Sea Monkey scratched at Pansear several times, whittling down some of its HP.

"Oh, but Touya's Panpour manages to fight back with some Scratches! Not very effective though!" called out Cress.

"Pansear, use Incinerate!"

A burst of fire exploded out of Pansear's mouth and hit Sea Monkey point blank. She trembled for a moment and then collapsed.

"And Touya's Panpour has fainted! Shall Touya switch out his Pokemon?" declared Cilan.

Touya stood there, shocked at Sea Monkey's defeat. Taking a deep breath, he returned her to her Pokeball and then released Sir Hiss.

"Oh dear," said Cress, "Touya has sent in a Grass-type against Chili. This may not bode well for him!"

"Sir Hiss," said Touya, "use Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss did just that, his vines hitting Pansear head on. However, Pansear was only partially affected by it. He smirked at Sir Hiss, who scowled back at him.

"Pansear, use Incinerate again!"

With a blast of fire, Sir Hiss was down. Touya only had Ruff and Prima left. He stood rooted to the spot, nervous and terrified.

"Touya still has two Pokemon left, what will he do now?" declared Cress.

Touya didn't know what to do. He couldn't really send Prima or Ruff there, could he? They weren't strong enough yet. He needed more time, something, anything...he did the only thing he could do.

"I...I forfeit the match."

"Touya has forfeited the fight!" called out Cress, "Chili wins!"

Touya sighed, returning Sir Hiss to his Pokeball and getting down from the stage.

"Hey, hey kid!"

Touya turned to look at Chili who got down from the stage and smiled at him before putting a hand on his shoulder.

"Don't feel so down. I remember my first loss, I know how it feels. Remember that this isn't your only shot. If you go out there and train a little bit harder, you can come back any time to beat me, 'kay?"

Touya looked at Chili and smiled.

"Thanks, Chili," he said, "I'll do that."

With that, he left, headed to the Pokemon Center.


	5. The Trio Badge (part two)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, I had to reupload this one because I had forgotten to include the omake at the end XD

"Sea Monkey, use Water gun!"

Sea Monkey let out a squeak as she sent a jet of water out of her mouth and hit Bianca's Pansear as they trained together in the Dreamyard. The fiery red monkey shook his soaking coat and looked at Sea Monkey in alarm, evidently surprised that his cousin was so strong. 

"Pansear, use Fury Swipes!"

Pansear ran at Sea Monkey and bared a set of sharp claws. Touya commanded Sea Monkey to dodge, and dodge she did. No matter how much her opponent swiped at her, he couldn't get her. Touya commanded another Water Gun and Sea Monkey soaked Pansear again, knocking him out. Bianca ran over to Pansear and gave him a revive and a potion before turning to Touya with a smile.

"You're doing pretty good, Touya!" said Bianca, holding her elemental monkey like an infant.

"Thank you," said Touya, thinking of how previously he had practiced battling Bianca's Lilipup with Sir Hiss, "I think this new strategy might work. What do you think, Cheren?"

Cheren had been leaning against the fence and watching their training session while his Pansage sat on his shoulder.

"Well, a similar strategy worked for me," he said, smirking and showing off the Trio Badge on his coat, "I beat Cress pretty good while we battled against each other."

Bianca rolled her eyes and Touya chuckled. Bianca had received the Pansear from the same girl that gave Touya and Cheren their elemental monkeys and she too had already fought the triplets, sometime after lunch.

"I did a good job against Cilan, myself," she said, petting Pansear and pointing to the Trio Badge on her hat, "I had a lot of fun! And the triplets were so handsome!"

Bianca had sighed dreamily after saying that, prompting Cheren to look at her in surprise.

"Handsome?" he asked, trying to sound calm, "Wha-wha-what do you mean by _'handsome'?_ "

"Well," said Bianca, "they were all good looking and very, very charming! I couldn't help but enjoy their company!"

"I could be charming too, you know..." muttered Cheren, turning away and pushing up his glasses in annoyance. Touya started laughing. 

Bianca, meanwhile, turned obliviously to Touya and said, "By the way, Touya, I met Professor Juniper's friend Fennel today!"

"Who?" asked Touya.

"She's the one who made the Pokemon Storage System!"

"Really?"

"Hey, yeah," said Cheren, "I met her too, after challenging Cress!"

"What's she like?" asked Touya.

"She's very nice," said Bianca, "she's also really energetic! I think you should meet her soon! She lives nearby."

"Cool!" said Touya, "Maybe she can set up my PC system, and one for you too, Cheren!"

"Sure, why not." said Cheren. 

\----

The group took a break from training and sat down together in the lovely topiary garden on the western side of town for lunch. The three of them watched their Pokemon play together as they did so.

Sea Monkey was happy to chat with her cousins, Pansage and Pansear while they and their teammates ate. Pansage was loud and energetic while Pansear was soft-spoken and sleepy. Sea Monkey, being serene but slightly tempermental, contrasted perfectly with both of them. 

The Pansage had swiped one of Sea Monkey's berries, prompting an angry slash from her claws. The other Pokemon laughed, Sir Hiss rolled his eyes as he sat next to Tepig and Oshawott. Prima and Ruff seemed to like their new teammate, though with Ruff it was harder to tell since he was too busy glaring at Cheren's Purrloin, who snickered darkly in response. Bianca's Lillipup was the only one who hadn't joined her teammate, instead resting in her trainer's lap.

"They sure are energetic," said Bianca, petting her dog's head.

"Yeah," said Touya, "and they get along well too!"

"Or they mostly do," said Cheren as he noticed Ruff barking at Purrloin.

Sea Monkey jumped onto Touya's shoulder and smiled happily, swishing her tail from side to side.

"So how does the PC work, Bianca?" asked Cheren.

"Professor Juniper says that after you catch more than six Pokemon, one of them is automatically transferred to the PC. By default, it sends them to either Fennel or Professor Juniper, but you can request that they be sent home if you like."

Touya frowned. The latter seemed like it'd be a little inconvenient, seeing as his intention was to fill the Pokedex, and that would require him capturing at least one of every species in Unova. He thought about it a little.

"Where does Fennel store them?" asked Cheren.

"She's got this place near the center of Unova apparently," said Bianca, "since most trainers don't catch as many Pokemon as we're supposed to, she usually has enough room for all of them, so we don't need to worry about space."

"Hmm..."

Touya felt something tug at his pant leg and looked down to see Sir Hiss, giving him a look that said "I'm bored."

"I'm no expert," said Touya, "but I think Sir Hiss wants to train some more."

"Sounds good to me!" said Cheren, "How about you practice with me this time?"

"I like that idea," said Touya.

"Go Tepig!"

"Get 'im, Sea Monkey!" 

\----

Touya returned to the Striaton Gym, feeling slightly more confident. Chili stood up smiling and announced, "Looks like Touya's back for a rematch everyone! Touya, come on up here!"

Touya smiled and got up on the stage, standing across from the red-haired boy as he pulled out a Pokeball. Cress and Cilan stood up and grabbed their microphones.

"Well, ladies and gents, looks like we have a rematch today!" announced Cress, "Welcome back, Mr. Touya Black from Nuvema Town!"

The people seated at the tables applauded. Touya waited to see what Chili's first Pokemon would be. He held out a Pokeball and called out "Lilipup, go!"

A Lilipup burst out of the ball and Touya smiled.

"Sir Hiss, go!"

Sir Hiss burst out of his own ball, looking smug. 

"Touya has chosen to use his Snivy against Chili's Lilipup! Now let's see what moves they'll make!"

"Lilipup, use tackle!"

Lilipup burst foreward and smacked into Sir Hiss, who held his ground and gritted his sharp teeth.

"Don't let it discourage you, Sir Hiss! Use Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss extended his vines, which then struck Lilipup several times, eventually knocking him out with ease.

"You have improved," said Chili, smiling as he returned Lilipup, "Now let's finish this! Go, Pansear!"

"Sir Hiss, return! Go Sea Monkey!"

Sea Monkey emerged from Touya's Pokeball, grinning and chirping as she faced the Pansear with her unseeing eyes, ready to fight.

"Sea Monkey," said Touya, "use Water Gun!"

"Pansear, dodge!"

Sea Monkey shot out a jet of water and Pansear leaped out of the way. Sea Monkey growled and Pansear giggled. Chili smirked and called out "Pansear! Fury Swipes!"

Pansear was about to leap at Sea Monkey to scratch at her, but Touya called out "Sea Monkey, hit it with another Water Gun!"

Sea Monkey allowed another stream of water to hit the fire monkey, drenching him completely. Confused and disoriented, the Pansear fell to the ground. Sea Monkey grinned and Touya called out "Sea Monkey! Finish him with a Scratch!"

Sea Monkey grinned and ran toward the Pansear and scratched at his face. The Pansear fell over on the ground, unconcious. Chili smiled as he returned Pansear and said "Looks like we have a winner!"

Touya smiled excitedly as Chili walked up to him and handed him the Trio Badge.

"Congrats, Touya!" said Chili, as he patted Touya's back and smiled widely. And then hugged him tightly. Touya blushed a little bit, and said "Uh...thank you, Chili."

"Chili," said Cilan, "you can let go of him now."

"Oh," said Chili, "right! We'll see you around Touya! And say hi to Bianca and Cheren for us!"

"I will!" said Touya as he returned Sea Monkey and jumped down from his stage.

\----

As Touya exited the gym, he saw a tall young woman with long black hair and wearing a white labcoat.

"You're Touya, right?" she asked.

"Yes." said Touya, slightly confused.

"Hey there! I'm Fennel!"

"Oh," said Touya, "hello Fennel! Bianca told me about you!"

"Yes, I'm a good friend of Professor Juniper's! She asked me to give you something! Follow me!"

Touya was more than a little surprised, but he followed her anyway, headed to a nearby house. They entered the house and Fennel spoke again.

"So, as you can see, I'm a scientist. What I'm researching is trainers! Professor Juniper was my college roommate and she asked me to help you and your friends out!"

"That sounds like her," said Touya, smiling as Fennel handed him some coffee.

"So," Fennel continued, "I have decided to give you this Hidden Machine--or HM for short--to help you on your way!"

She handed Touya a DVD that said "HM01-Cut" on it. Touya looked at it. He had been told about HMs by his father--they were special, practical moves that could be taught to Pokemon via these instructional DVDs that are inserted into the Pokedex and projected into a hologram. The Pokemon learn the move quickly, as said move is typically very simple and usually based around natural instincts, but they're also strengthened compared to the natural version of the move.

"This HM contains a move called Cut," said Fennel, "it can be used to cut down small trees! You can teach your Pokemon HMs as many times as you want, like Technical Machines, but it's difficult to make a Pokemon forget a Hidden Machine move after they've learned it."

Touya thought about it. He placed the DVD into his Pokedex. The Pokedex gave a message that said "Booted up an HM. It contained Cut. Teach Cut to a Pokemon?"

A screen appeared on the Pokedex, showing Touya's current on-hand Pokemon. Sir Hiss, Prima and Sea Monkey were all able to learn the move. Seeing as Sir Hiss and Sea Monkey were probably going to be major combatants, Prima needed something to give her an edge. He selected her from the list, which caused her to emerge from her Pokeball. The HM's holographic screen appeared, showing a generic Pokemon using sharp claws to cut down a small tree that was blocking a path. The hologram showed this three times and Prima watched intently. After the third time, the hologram disappeared and a new one appeared with the message "Prima learned Cut!"

"Excellent!" said Fennel, "Now, there's one other thing I want you to do--now that you have Cut, you can explore more parts of the Dreamyard. Now I'm looking for a Pokemon called Munna, who can create what's known as dream mist. I need you to bring me some of that dream mist. With that, I'll be able to more efficiently keep files on various trainers!"

"Um...Okay." said Touya, feeling a little confused at this request.

"Excellent!" said Fennel again, "I've already sent Bianca to look for it, maybe you can help her out! Now go!"

\----

Touya arrived at the Dreamyard and headed to the area that was blocked by the small shrub. He released Prima and called out "Prima, use Cut!"

Prima used her claws to slice down the shrub and Touya smiled.

"Good girl, Prima!" he said petting her and returning her to her ball before heading onward.

It was night time and the Dreamyard was fairly peaceful in the lower light levels. As he wandered along, he accidentally bumped into something very yellow and orange.

"Bianca?"

"Oh, Touya!"

Bianca was standing there in front of him, her clothes a little bit dusty, presumably from searching for the Pokemon called Munna.

"Are you looking for the mysterious Pokemon too?"

Bingo.

"Yes," said Touya, "Ms. Fennel told me to."

"She told me to find it too. I've been looking everywhere, but I haven's seen neither hide nor hair of it!"

"It might be a little too dark. But we can try and look together. What does it look like?"

"A little pink baby tapir," said Bianca, "It's really cute! It also has a small cavity on its forehead through which dream mist flows when it grows into a Musharna. And it floats, all the time."

"Is there a sound we should be listening for?"

"Mmh-hmm! Its sound is where its name comes from--Munnas are baby Musharnas, and people call them 'Munnas' because they make a noise that sounds like 'mun-naa'!"

Touya looked around, for a creature fitting Bianca's description, as well as listening for a call that sounds like it's saying "munna".

"You know an awful lot about this Pokemon," said Touya, "did you catch one?"

"I almost did," said Bianca, "if I managed to get it, I'd just give Fennel the dream mist from mine, but unfortunately I got so excited that I tripped before I could let Oshawott or Lilipup out to battle it, so it ran away. I'm just really interested in seeing how dreams work!"

Touya nodded. Suddenly, they heard a rustling in the background.

"Did you hear that?" asked Bianca.

"Yeah," said Touya, "it sounds close..."

"Maybe it's the Munna!"

"Muun-naa..."

"That sounds like it," said Touya.

"C'mon you dumb creature," said a man's voice.

"Wait, was that the Munna too?" asked Bianca.

"I doubt it..." said Touya.

"Keep it down, Petr!" said another voice, this time sounding like a woman, "You want the whole city to hear us!?"

"Of course not, Mara! But this dumb thing won't give up the stupid dream mist!"

"Someone's found the Munna before us," said Touya.

"And it sounds like they're not being nice to it either!" said Bianca.

The two of them pushed through the bushes to see two people in white robes, a man and a woman, glaring bickering on either side of a very distressed looking Munna. Touya recognized the robes from earlier--these were the same people who were standing on either side of that old man, Ghetsis, back at Accumula Town, the ones who called themselves "Team Plasma" and wanted to "liberate Pokemon" or something like that. The woman looked fairly young, probably closer to his and Bianca's age, while the man seemed slightly older. But they both had red hair and cold blue eyes.

"Hey you two!" shouted Bianca, "Who are you and what are you doing with that Munna?"

The two Team Plasma grunts, apparently named Mara and Petr, turned around. Petr looked quite shocked, while Mara looked angry. She grabbed her partner by the collar and shouted "I told you you'd draw attention to us!"

"It's not my fault!" retorted Petr, defensively.

"Okay, well now that you've caught us," said Mara angrily, turning to Touya and Bianca, "we're getting this stupid Pokemon for Team Plasma's plans!"

"What could you possibly want with a Munna?" asked Touya, beginning to feel like he wasn't going to like these Team Plasma people.

"I bet they want the dream mist!" said Bianca.

"That's right," said Mara, now smiling, "we're gonna use the dream mist to enter the dreams of Pokemon trainers and convince them to give up their Pokemon! Now cough up the mist, you stupid looking pig thing!"

Mara kicked the Munna hard, causing it to let out a pained "Mun!" The little bruises dotting the poor creature's sides suggested that both Mara and Petr had been at this for a while.

"Stop it!" shouted Bianca, "You're hurting it!"

"Yeah," said Touya, "I thought you Plasma jerks were against mistreating Pokemon!"

"We need to get the dream mist somehow!" said Petr, smirking as he kicked the Munna again.

"Besides," said Mara, "I'm not doing this for the Pokemon! I'm doing this for our king!"

Touya guessed she was talking about that old Ghetsis guy. Pulling out a Pokeball, he said, "If you want that Munna, you'll have to go through me!"

"And me!" said Bianca, pulling out a Pokeball of her own.

"Bring it you little twerps!" shouted Mara. A Purrloin burst out of her Pokeball, followed by Petr letting out a Patrat.

"Sir Hiss go!"

"Oshawott, get 'em!"

Sir Hiss and Oshawott both burst out, Oshawott looking serious, Sir Hiss looking bored.

"Patrat," said Petr, "use Bite!"

"Sir Hiss, Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss whipped at the Patrat, who in turn tried to bite Sir Hiss' vines. 

"Oshawott, use Water Gun!" shouted Bianca, as Oshawott sent a huge stream of water at Purrloin, which responded the way any cat would when it was wet.

"Use Scratch, Purrloin!" shrieked Mara.

Purrloin angrily clawed at Oshawott, drawing blood in the process.

"Sir Hiss, Wrap her up!"

Sir Hiss turned one of his vines on Purrloin, coiling it around her and constricting her with a smirk. The Purrloin let out a pained mewl, while Oshawott turned his attention to Petr's Patrat.

"Oshawott, tackle it!"

Oshawott ran to the Patrat and body slammed him into the ground, knocking him out. Petr panicked and returned Patrat while Mara returned her Purrloin with a frustrated look on her face.

"You know what?" she said, "Forget it! We're taking the Munna anyway!"

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the bushes. Everyone turned to see Ghetsis emerging from it, glaring at his minions menacingly. For once, both Mara and Petr looked truly terrified.

"L-Lord Ghetsis!" said Mara, trembling.

"Oh sweet Arceus above," said Petr, shaking where he stood, "wh-what are you doing here, your excellency?"

Ghetsis didn't answer. Out of nowhere, another Ghetsis appeared!

"T-Two Ghetsis!?" asked both the grunts. Now even Touya and Bianca were confused.

"Ah! What's going on!?" asked Bianca, as Touya just stood in stunned silence.

As soon as a third Ghetsis appeared, the two grunts were now completely terrified. They ran off as fast as they could, leaving Touya and Bianca behind with the three Ghetsis.

"Is...is that really Ghetsis?" asked Touya, finding his voice at last as he and Bianca returned their Pokemon.

Suddenly, all three figures vanished.

"That's probably a no." said Bianca.

"Muuun..."

"Oh," said Bianca, "Touya look!"

A Musharna floated in, hovering over to the Munna. Pink mist trailed over her head, swirling from a cavity in her forehead as she looked down at the Munna and nuzzled it. Touya made the connection immediately...

"The dream mist!" he said, "Those 'Ghetsis' were actually Musharna's illusions made from dream mist! It must have known that the grunts would be afraid of him and conjured them to help us!"

"That's amazing!" said Bianca, as Musharna and her baby floated away. 

Fennel arrived shortly afterward, looking around.

"You found the Pokemon?" she asked.

"Yes," said Touya, "but we couldn't find the dream mist."

"Are you sure?" asked Fennel, grinning as she pointed down at the discarded bottle with pink liquid in it on the ground.

"Woah," said Touya, "where'd that come from?"

"Musharna must have left it," said Bianca, "as a thank you for saving her baby!"

"Bingo!" said Fennel, taking the bottle, "I'll take this! Now thanks to the dream mist, I can keep more tabs on trainer progress! Thanks guys!"

Touya smiled and Bianca beamed.

"You're welcome ma'am!" said Bianca.

"Will you be staying in town for the night?" asked Fennel.

"We don't seem to have much of a choice," said Bianca, "We'll be in the hotel until tomorrow. Then we'll be headed for Route three."

"Would you like to have dinner at my house?" asked Fennel.

"Yes!" said Bianca.

"Okay." said Touya.

To be continued...

-OMAKE-

Cheren Challenging the Gym:

Cheren burst into the Striaton City Gym, taking everyone present by surprise. Standing dramatically, in the doorway, Cheren crossed his arms and smirked confidently with his Tepig and Purrloin both flanking him and his new Pansage perched on his shoulder. Chili, Cress, Cilan and all the patrons at the Gym all stared at him in surprise as he began to speak dramatically.

"STRIATON TRIPLETS," he bellowed, "I am Cheren of Nuvema Town--remember my name, for I'm going to be Champion of the Unova League someday, and this is my first step! So prepare that Trio Badge for me! As I will--"

Before Cheren could say anything more, he was cut off by a loud gurgling noise. Everyone else stared and Cheren's face flushed red...the sound was his stomach.

"I-I'm sorry," Cheren said, embarrassed, "I skipped breakfast to come here."

"Would you like some breakfast before your battle?" asked Cilan, "This Gym does double as a restaurant, you know."

After a brief pause, Cheren nodded.

"Okay," he said, "but then I'm gonna fight Cress."

"Take a seat!" said Chili, cheerfully, as he seated Cheren and handed him a menu.

\---

Bianca Challenging the Gym:

"Hello," said Bianca, "I'm here to challenge the Gym!"

"Greetings," said Cilan, "We are the Striaton Gym Leaders, and we--"

"HOLY CRAP GUYS IT'S A REALLY PRETTY GIRL!" shouted Chili, with stars in his eyes.

"Wait, really!?" asked Cress.

Soon enough, Chili and Cress were at each other's throats, scrambling for Bianca's attention. Bianca giggled as Cilan heaved a long-suffering sigh. He then walked over to Bianca and shook her hand.

"Hello there, I take it that since your friends have the grass and fire starters you must have taken the water one, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes, sir!" said Bianca.

"Well then I'll be your opponent, today."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The "instructional DVD" interpretation of HMs (and TMs) was inspired by this comic: http://rakkuguy.tumblr.com/post/138859597856/what-if-tms-were-instructional-dvds
> 
> A lot of elements had to be removed here, mainly C-Gear because it's mainly a game mechanic and the whole thing wouldn't make sense in the context of the story.
> 
> Also, this is the first proper introduction of Mara and Petr, two recurring Team Plasma grunts. There will be a third one introduced later--I based them off of specific TP grunts from the games. You'll see which ones later on...
> 
> Edit 3/7/2017: Part of my editing spree-added some personality to the Pokemon and some further exposition on the PC.


	6. Route 3 and a Stolen Pokemon

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whoo! Hey guys! It's been a while, hasn't it? XD
> 
> Two reasons I didn't update sooner (actually three, but one of them is kind of personal, so I'd rather not talk about it...):  
> 1\. School. I'm getting closer and closer to finals and it's goin' crazy @_@ This may end up making updates more sporadic, but don't worry; come Christmas break, I'll start working on this story more! This is a story I intend to see through to the end (I didn't spend a maximum of two years playing the game and writing down all my progress just to give up on this story)!  
> 2\. My laptop was suffering battery problems and everytime it was unplugged from the charger it would automatically shut down. I didn't want to work on the story and then lose all my work by accidentally unplugging the charger. Fortunately, I got a new battery yesterday, so I can start on this anew!  
> EDIT: My new battery is now suffering similar problems to my previous one. The only difference is that it's not low enough (yet) that unplugging the charger doesn't immediately kill my laptop. Mom and I are going to get a replacement battery, but I'm getting real sick of this problem--I JUST got this new battery three days ago and it's already messing up -_-;

The next day, Touya woke up bright and early, showered, dressed and began packing up for the trip to the next town.

As he packed, Touya smiled at the extra Pokeball that now accompanied those of Sir Hiss, Prima, Ruff and Sea Monkey--he had caught a Munna after another brief trip to the Dreamyard. He decided to name him REM (after Rapid Eye Movement, due to his association with dreams) and was quite glad he caught her; yet another Pokemon whose data he can add to the Pokedex, and more importantly, a new addition to his team. Bianca said she had caught a Munna too, though he didn't get to see it.

Bianca and Cheren had already left, and Touya was off to Route 3 now, preparing himself for Nacrene City and its Gym. He had heard the Nacrene City Gym Leader, Lenora, was pretty tough and hard to beat. He needed to really train his team if he wanted to win. Fortunately, there were lots of trainers at Route 3 and Touya would be able to get plenty of practice here. Especially if a certain someone was there...

"YO TOUYA!"

Speak of Giratina...

"Hey Cheren," said Touya, "You wanna battle?"

"No!" said Cheren, running up to him, "I mean yes! We both have the Trio Badge, right?"

"Yup!" said Touya, opening his jacket to reveal the badge clipped to the inside.

"Then let's test each other's skills!" shouted Cheren, pulling out a Pokeball, "Let's fight!"

A ball was thrown and Cheren's Tepig emerged, squealing with excitement and sending puffs of smoke out of his nose as he held onto an Oran Berry with his hooves. Touya sent out Sea Monkey and grinned.

"Tepig, use Ember!"

Tepig shot some small flames out of his mouth, hitting Sea Monkey and singing her fur.

"Don't be discouraged, Sea Monkey!" called out Touya, "Hit him with a Water Gun!"

Sea Monkey screeched loudly before shooting a jet of water from her mouth and drenching Tepig. Tepig fell over and Cheren returned him before calling out Purrloin. Touya returned Sea Monkey and called out Sir Hiss. Sir Hiss' body had been growing longer while his limbs had been atrophying slightly. Fennel told him that it was a sign that he was going to evolve soon.

"Purrloin! Growl!"

Purrloin let out a loud growl, causing Sir Hiss to flinch. Touya looked up in concern.

"Now, Purrloin, use Fury Swipes!"

"Dodge it, Sir Hiss!"

Purrloin swiped at Sir Hiss. Sir Hiss leaped out of the way. 

"Sir Hiss, use Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss smacked the Purrloin with a vine from his shoulders. The Purrloin was knocked out immediately.

"Purrloin, return! Jeez, Touya, you're good!"

"Thanks, Cheren!" said Touya, smiling, "So are you off to Nacrene City to challenge Lenora?"

"Yes," said Cheren, "I hear she's really tough, but I can take her! And when I do, I'll be one step closer to becoming Champion!" 

"We could go there together," said Touya, "I've been to Nacrene before. My dad took my sister and I to the museum there."

"The Gym's inside the museum too," said Cheren.

"So what's Lenora like?" asked Touya, "I hear she's really tough. When my sister told me about her experience with her, it sounded like she was facing off against some kind of drill sergeant."

"Nah," said Cheren, chuckling, "Lenora's a Normal-type specialist. She is tough, but also fair."

"I'm not worried, then," said Touya, feeling a bit relieved.

Suddenly, two people ran passed, extremely quickly. So quickly in fact, that Touya and Cheren couldn't see them very well.

"What's their problem?" asked Cheren.

"Cheren! Touya!" shouted a voice. The boys turned to see Bianca running over to them with a crying little girl by her side.

"What happened, Bianca?" said Cheren, looking alarmed.

"Those people there stole this little girl's Pokemon!"

"What!?" shouted both Cheren and Touya at once.

"Too people dressed in white," whimpered the girl, "they stole my Pokemon!"

"Dressed in white?" asked Touya, dreading what that might have meant.

"I bet they were those Team Plasma jerks!" scowled Cheren, his voice filled with hate. He then turned to the girl and said very seriously, "Don't worry kid, we'll get your Pokemon back! Bianca, stay by the girl's side, just in case more Team Plasma members show up!"

"I will! Please go save the girl's Pokemon!"

"We will, we promise!" called out Touya as he and Cheren ran in the direction that the two people were going.

\----

"Can't you keep up, Petr?" asked Mara, glaring at her companion. Why she had to be saddled with this loser, she'll never know.

"I tripped! Give me a break!" he said scrambling to his feet, "I think I fell into a bush!"

They both heard some soft cooing sounds. They turned to see a Pidove seated in the middle of a destroyed nest.

"I think we messed up that Pidove's nest..." said Petr in concern.

"Who cares?" said Mara, angrily, "It's just a Pidove! There's a million more just like it! Now let's get out of here, Regina's waiting for us in the cave!"

"Regina?" asked Petr, suddenly looking excited, "Okay then!"

With that, Mara and Petr fled into the Wellspring Cave.

\----

"ACK!" shouted Touya as he and Cheren ran through the tall grass on the trail of the Team Plasma grunts. A Pidove had flown up at his face and was squawking and scratching at him.

"What's going on, Touya?"

"This Pidove is attacking me, duh!" shouted Touya, trying to get the bird off of his face.

"Well, stop messing with it and come on, I think I saw them go into the Wellspring Cave!"

Touya looked around. He saw a broken nest on the ground below him and realized.

"Wait a minute, Cheren," he said, "I think this Pidove's nest got smashed up by those Team Plasma grunts!"

"So?"

"So I think I'm gonna catch him! If those Team Plasma grunts destroyed his home, then maybe I should give him a new one!"

Cheren sighed.

"Alright," he said, "but make it quick!"

Touya nodded and pulled out a Pokeball.

\----

"Regina!" called out Mara as she and Petr ran into the cave. A tall, thin woman with long red hair turned to look at the two of them.

"Mara, Petr," she said, coolly, "do you have the Pokemon?"

"Yes!" said Mara excitedly, "Our king will be so pleased!"

"Oh Mara," said Regina, "you're too obsessed with him, aren't you?"

"I am not obsessed with him!" said Mara, "I'm in love with him!"

Regina rolled her eyes. Petr, meanwhile leaned in next to her.

"So, Regina," said Petr, grinning, "to celebrate a job well done, do you want to go out and do something tonight? Dinner? A movie?"

"Shut up, Petr."

"Okay."

"Hey you!"

Petr, Mara and Regina all turned to see two kids standing in the entryway to the cave.

"Oh great," said Mara, "it's those twerps again!"

"Oh come on," said Cheren, "you're not much older than we are!"

"Return that Pokemon you stole from the little girl on Route 3!" called out Touya.

"Or what?" said Regina.

"Or we'll fight you, that's what!" called out Cheren.

"Ugh," said Regina, "I don't have time for this. You two handle this, will you?"

"With pleasure," said Mara as she and Petr let out their Pokemon. Mara's Purrloin and Petr's Patrat were both growling angrily at Touya and Cheren.

"Go, Tepig!" called out Cheren.

"Let's see what you can do, Breezy!" called out Touya.

Cheren's Tepig and Touya's new Pidove both burst out of their Pokeballs. 

"Tepig, use Ember!"

"Breezy, use Air Cutter!"

Tepig shot out tiny flames at the Purrloin, which screeched loudly and angrily. Breezy flapped his wings and sent out a gust of wind that left scratches and cuts on the Patrat's flesh.

"Patrat!" said Petr, looking shocked.

"Purrloin, use scratch!" called out Mara.

Purrloin scratched at Breezy, who fluttered upward to avoid it. Petr angrily called out for Patrat to tackle Tepig, who was promptly knocked to the side by Patrat's attack.

"Tepig! Use the Oran Berry!" shouted Cheren.

Tepig nibbled on his Oran Berry and became healthier in the process, before tackling the Patrat, knocking it out. Breezy meanwhile swooped down upon the Purrloin and hit her with an Air Slash on Touya's orders.

"Purrloin, return!"

"Patrat, come back!"

"We've defeated you, Team Plasma!" called out Cheren, dramatically, "Now give us that girl's Pokemon back!"

"Fine," said Regina angrily, "take the stupid Pokemon."

"But Regina!" whined Mara, "What will we give our king now!?"

"I don't know and I don't care," said Regina, irritably as she tossed a pink Pokeball at Touya, who caught it, "Take the Pokemon and go away."

"But the king-"

"Mara, please," said Petr, holding onto his Patrat's Pokeball, "let's do as she says, so our Pokemon don't get hurt."

"What do you care?" asked Touya.

Petr didn't answer. Mara glared at the boys and shouted "We'll be back!" as the three fled deeper into the cave.

"Hey, wait! We're not done here!" shouted Cheren, but Touya grabbed him by the shoulder.

"Yes we are," he said, "we've got the girl's Pokemon back. Let's get out of here."

Cheren glared at Touya, but then relented and the two headed back.

"Bianca is probably worried," said Cheren, smiling, "let's go."

\----

Cheren's prediction turned out to be true, as Bianca immediately started asking questions (mainly toward Cheren) about what happened. Touya chuckled and handed her the Pokeball.

"We got it back," said Touya, "the little girl's Pokemon."

"That's wonderful!" said Bianca, taking the ball and handing it back to the little girl.

"Thank you!" said the girl, "Here, take this as a thank you present!"

The girl had handed each of them some Heal Balls.

"Wow," said Bianca happily, "thanks!"

"Yeah, thanks!" said Cheren.

"Thank you," said Touya with a smile.

The trio said goodbye to the little girl and went their separate ways along Route 3, en route to Nacrene City.

\----

 _Munna_  
 _REM_  
 _Docile nature_  
 _Dreamyard_  
 _Met at Level 8_  
 _Strongly defiant_

_Pidove_  
 _Breezy_  
 _Gentle nature._  
 _Route 3._  
 _Met at Level 8._  
 _Likes to run._

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Like the previous installment, this is the first proper appearance of a Team Plasma Grunt, in this case, Regina. Her name means "Queen", which fits her personality like a glove ^_^  
> As you can see, Petr has a big crush on her. She's not that into him XD  
> This was going to end with something big occurring, but I ran outta steam, so I'm gonna make that the opening of the next chapter!  
> PS: I'm sorry the capture of REM the Munna had to take place offscreen. I couldn't find a place to insert it. Ditto for Breezy the Pidove (but this isn't the last you'll see of him).


	7. Evolving

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I don't have much to say except enjoy this next chapter!

The Wellspring Cave was a surprisingly inactive spot among the various places around here. Caves were usually full of Pokemon that were typically either easily spooked or fiercely temperamental, but here, it was surprisingly dull. Touya had not encountered many Pokemon as he wandered through the cave and eventually found himself outside of the cave and in the route near Nacrene City.

It was such a quiet day that he welcomed the fact that he was immediately challenged by a boy upon getting to Route Three outside of the cave. His Blitzle put up a good fight, but Touya managed to defeat him regardless. In the process, Sir Hiss had managed to go up a level and even learned a new move: Leaf Tornado. He checked the Pokedex's stats on the attack.

_Attack: Leaf Tornado_  
_Category: Special_  
_Power: 65_  
_Accuracy: 90_  
_The user attacks its target by encircling it in sharp leaves. This attack may also lower the target's accuracy._

"Wow!" said Al, the schoolkid who had challenged Touya, smiling at the Pokedex entry as he looked at it with his opponent, "That sounds like a really cool move! I bet your Snivy will be unbeatable!"

Sir Hiss grinned proudly as he curled around Touya's shoulder, but Touya just chuckled and said "I wouldn't go that far. But it does sound like a good move. I hope I wasn't too hard on your Blitzle."

"Nah," said Al, helping the electric zebra up as it smiled weakly and licked his face, "Blitzle's really tough and I have some healing items. A few potions and he'll be fine!"

The Blitzle yipped in response as its trainer sprayed it with some potions.

Touya bid Al and his Blitzle farewell and continued along, wanting to make it to Nacrene City before nightfall. To his surprise, he had managed to bump into Cheren again, standing in the darker grass.

"Cheren?" asked Touya.

"Oh," said Cheren, surprised, "hey Touya. I came here to catch more Pokemon for my battle against Lenora. I wanted to warn you and Bianca about the darker grass. Every now and again, two Pokémon will pop out of this grass at the same time. You have to be careful in the darker grass, but like I said, I was looking for some Pokemon to catch. I think I caught one to deal with Lenora..."

Touya found this information quite odd.

"Why would two Pokemon jump out at you in this grass? It doesn't seem any different from the other tall grasses." he asked.

"I'm not sure," said Cheren, "but based on my research, some Pokemon like Watchog and Unfezant like the taste of the grass, while others, like Liepard and Mandibuzz like to hunt for the plant eaters in the areas."

Touya thought about this, and figured it made sense. Sir Hiss snickered his little hissing snicker; Touya could tell that the little snake wanted to test out his new attack on some other Pokemon.

"Maybe I should search too?" he asked.

"Couldn't hurt!" said Cheren, heading out of the dark grass and turning to the direction of the main road, "I'm heading to Nacrene City. See you later!"

"See you Cheren." called out Touya.

"Sss!" called out Sir Hiss.

\----

After he watched Cheren leave, Touya turned to the dark grass and walked through it. Sure enough, to his surprise, a wild Blitzle appeared.

"A Blitzle!" shouted Touya, "Sir Hiss, get it!"

Sir Hiss jumped down from Touya's shoulder and gave another proud smirk. 

"Okay, Sir Hiss, let's not jump into your new move just yet! Hit it with a Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss hissed in annoyance, but did as he was told and fired two whips and coiled them around the Blitzle's legs and throat. The Blitzle scowled angrily and broke free, looking extremely mad.

"Crap," said Touya, "looks like that wasn't enough!" 

"YIP YIP YIP!" screamed the Blitzle as it shot out an electrical discharge on Sir Hiss. Fortunately, Sir Hiss managed to withstand the attack. Sir Hiss looked at Touya hopefully.

"Okay, Sir Hiss," said Touya, smiling go ahead and use Leaf Tornado."

Sir Hiss sneered and several of the leaves on his skin burst off of his body and shot them at his opponent. The leaves surrounded the Blitzle and it yipped angrily, rearing up and attempting to fight as the sharpened leaves cut into its skin. eventually, it succumbed to its wounds, and the Blitzle collapsed, injured but still awake. Touya took the opportunity to use one of the Heal Balls the girl had given him. He threw it at the Blitzle and watched as its ball shook, the Blitzle struggling to free itself. Sure enough, the ball clicked, signaling that the Blitzle was caught.

Touya and Sir Hiss both cheered and touya picked up the Heal Ball, smiling. Sir Hiss scrambled up to Touya's shoulder, wrapping himself around his trainer's neck, hissing contentedly. Looking at his Pokedex, it suggested that he give the Blitzle a nickname. He decided to call it "Z-Stripe".

 _Blitzle_  
_Z-Stripe_  
_Naughty nature_  
_Route 3_  
_Met at Level 10_  
_Somewhat vain_

\----

Touya had soon discovered that Route Three was home to the Pokemon Daycare. There were a lot of younger kids there, all of whom were enthusiastic about Pokemon. They mentioned that they got to play with the Pokemon in the Daycare sometimes. Touya found this really cute.

As he was about to talk to the owner of the Daycare, he suddenly heard a young girl's voice.

"HEY!"

Turning to look at the source of the voice, Touya saw a young girl, maybe five or six years old, dressed in a blue coat, pink skirt and yellow hat and boots. She held up a Pokeball and said "My name is Juliet, and I challenge you to a battle!"

Touya chuckled. He figured it'd be rude to turn the kid's offer down, but she was still a kid. He figured he'd humor her a little.

"Alright then," said Touya, "I'll try to go easy on you, kid."

"You won't have to," said Juliet, "Go Cottonee!"

A fluffy little lamb burst out of her Pokeball and bounced up and down repeatedly.

"Go Breezy!" shouted Touya as he let out his Pidove. Breezy hovered in the air, looking at the Cottonee.

"Cottonee," said Juliet, "use Stun Spore!"

Breezy was hit with a cloud of spores and fell to the ground, trembling. Touya looked at him in surprise.

"Breezy," called out Touya cautiously, "use Air Cutter!"

Breezy struggled to lift his wings but sure enough, Stun Spore had left him paralyzed. Touya quickly returned his Pidove to its Pokeball and sent out REM instead. The little Munna looked down at his Grass-type opponent with a curious expression.

"REM, use Psywave!"

REM did just that, not needing to move in order to do so. Touya and Juliet could see the bright flash of purple hitting Cottonee, who looked rather shocked and frightened when he was done.

"Don't get discouraged, Cottonee! Use Leech Seed!"

The Cottonee did as she was told. She shot out three seeds from her body, which promptly embedded themselves into REM's body. Touya felt more than a little worried now.

"REM," said Touya, "try putting her to sleep!"

REM attempted this, but the Cottonee's Leech Seed seemed to be placed into effect before he could. REM let out a gasp as his energy was drained by the grass Pokemon. Touya was extremely surprised and concerned at this, but tried to keep it up. REM looked to him and he called out "Use Psywave again!"

REM managed to use another Psywave, hitting Cottonee hard. But just as Touya was about to try and finish this round, Cottonee's Leech Seed affected REM once more, leeching his energy and knocking her out.

"REM, return!" called out Touya, feeling a little worried.

"Give up yet?" asked Juliet, sneering. Touya was shocked, but not willing to quit so easily.

"You wish, go Z-Stripe!"

Z-Stripe burst out of her Pokeball, her body radiating with electricity. She yipped loudly and Touya called out for her to use Thundershock. With a flash of electricity, she had managed to knock out the Cottonee. Touya heaved a sigh of relief, until Juliet called out "Cottonee return! Petilil go!"

A small leaf covered insect emerged from the Pokeball. Z-Stripe grinned a little, but Touya was a little concerned. This girl may have been young, but her Pokemon were surprisingly strong. She also appeared to be enjoying the battle more than a little girl should be.

"Petilil! Use Mega Drain!"

Both the Petilil and Z-Stripe started to glow as Petilil slowly drained Z-Stripe of her energy. Z-Stripe indeed started to show signs of fatigue as the Petilil finished feeding. Touya took a deep breath.

"Z-Stripe, use Thundershock again!"

Z-Stripe attempted to electrocute the Petilil, but her attack wasn't as strong as it was before. The Petilil seemed to grin along with her trainer as Juliet called out "Now use Sleep Powder!"

From there, the Petilil sent out a wave of pollen that made Z-Stripe visibly drowsy. She soon fell asleep.

"Z-Stripe, return!" Touya shouted as he returned Z-Stripe to her Pokeball. _"Dang,"_ he thought, _"this girl's really tough. I need to up my game, but all I have left are Sir Hiss, Ruff, Sea Monkey and Prima..."_

Sir Hiss suddenly started hissing at Touya. Clearly he wanted him to send him in. Touya sighed. He called out "Go, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss leaped down from Touya's shoulder and smirked at the Petilil.

"Petilil," called out Juliet, "use Leech Seed!"

The Petilil shot out some seeds at him, embedding them into his body, just like with REM before.

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss did as he was told. He sent out a wind of leaves, swirling them around Petilil. The leaves left the Pokemon wounded, much to Juliet's shock.

"Huh!?" she shouted.

"Yes! Great job Sir Hiss!"

"You won't win that easily," shouted Juliet, "Petilil's leech seeds are still in your stupid little snake!"

As if on cue, Petilil's energy was replenished by the Leech Seed attack...but Sir Hiss had managed to keep himself steady, and Petilil's wounds didn't completely heal.

"Sir Hiss, use your vine whip strategy!"

Sir Hiss sneered and did exactly that. He began firing off as many Vine Whips as he could, faking out Petilil as she tried to dodge. The panicked plant slowly began to succumb to fatigue, but unlike Bianca, Juliet seemed to figure out what Touya was planning and called out "Petilil, return!" returning her to her Pokeball. She took a deep breath...and then gave Touya a genuine smile.

"You were really good!" she said, smiling and holding out a tiny hand for him to shake.

"I was good?" he asked as he shook her hand while Sir Hiss stood next to him, "You're pretty strong for someone so young!"

Suddenly, Juliet looked at Sir Hiss.

"Um, mister? What's wrong with your Snivy?"

"Something's wrong with Sir Hiss?"

Touya turned to look at Sir Hiss, who began squirming and scratching at himself. Touya immediately felt concern and ran to the small grass snake, trying to get a better look at him. He was clawing bits of skin off, but to Touya's surprise, no blood was showing; instead there appeared to be patches of new skin, as if he was simply shedding the old one to make way for a new one...it was then that he realized...

"He's...he's evolving..."

Sure enough, Sir Hiss got down on all fours and started slithering out of his old skin...his body was longer, his limbs were shorter. Two fan-like leaves stuck out from his back, a small yellow crest was on his head and his collars were longer and more regal looking. Touya smiled proudly, realizing that Sir Hiss had reached the next stage in his life cycle. No more was Sir Hiss a Snivy...now, he was a Servine!

"Alright, Sir Hiss!" Touya said, hugging his first Pokemon with a smile on his face and tears of joy and pride in his eyes. Sir Hiss let out a contented hiss and hugged his trainer back as Juliet jumped up and down, cheering for them. Touya then picked up Sir Hiss and said, "I should get these guys to a Pokemon Center."

"Yeah," said Juliet, "me too."

Touya was about to leave when suddenly he heard Juliet call out, "Wait! Which Pokemon Center are you going to?"

Touya turned around and said "The one in Nacrene City, why?"

"Um," said Juliet, "well...IWANNAGOWITHYOU!" she called out in quick succession.

Touya blinked in surprise as Juliet ran over to him.

"Why?" he asked.

"You're a strong trainer!" said Juliet with a smile on her face, "I wanna come with you so I can learn some things from you!"

"But what about your parents?"

"I can always just call them from the Center! Pleeeeease?"

Touya sighed. He had a feeling she was going to follow him no matter what he said.

"Alright, but stay close to me, okay?"

"You got it!" Juliet said, as the two of them headed to Nacrene City together.

To Be Continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, I know, Preschooler Juliet is in the Pinwheel Forest, not Route 3, but I needed a way to insert Sir Hiss' evolution more quickly, without putting in multiple battles like I did during the playthrough.  
> Also, while it didn't play out exactly like this, my battle with Preschooler Juliet was indeed really long and difficult. As a result, I feel like she earned a bigger part in my story, so she will now be Touya's traveling companion!  
> EDIT: Changing Cottonee to a lamb, because I didn't know until recently that it's supposed to be a sheep. Plus making it a vertebrate makes a little more sense. Petlil is now an insect instead.


	8. Arrival in Nacrene City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys! Sorry it's been a while! Merry almost Christmas (my favorite holiday!) Enjoy this next chapter!

"Hey mom."  
...  
"Yes, I'm at the Nacrene City Pokemon Center."  
...  
"I know, it took her a much shorter time to get here, thanks mom."  
...  
"Yes, I do plan on facing Lenora."  
...  
"My Pokemon? OH! Mom, I have exciting news! Sir Hiss evolved today!"  
...  
"Yeah, he's a Servine now! It shouldn't be long before he becomes a Serperior."  
...  
"Cheren and Bianca? Well, Cheren's probably battling Lenora right now and Bianca's here at the Pokemon Center with me."  
...  
"I met a new friend today."  
...  
"Well, she's a preschooler, her name's Juliet."  
...  
"Oh she's really tough, she almost beat me in a battle!"  
...  
"She's talking to her parents right now...she conveniently left out the fact that her parents live here.  
...  
"I know mom..."  
...  
"Yes, I will look out for her and my Pokemon."  
...  
"And myself, yes."  
...  
"I love you too, mom."  
...  
"Say hi to dad for me."  
...  
"Bye."

Touya hung up his XTranceiver and sighed. Talking to his mother could get exhausting sometimes, though maybe that was his fault for not calling her in a while. She may have been worried, but he had a lot on his mind.

"Mr. Black?"

Touya jumped and turned to look at the Nurse Joy who was smiling vacantly at him just as all Nurse Joys seemed to do. She held up a tray with four of his six Pokeballs. Z-Stripe was in a Heal Ball so she didn't necessarily need to enter the Pokemon Center's machine, while REM had been placed in the Daycare.

"All your Pokemon are perfectly fighting fit," said Nurse Joy, "Well, I must be off!"

"You're not staying?" asked Touya, surprised.

"Oh heck no," said Nurse Joy, "I have a date with a Gym Leader from Kanto! But don't worry, my sister's going to take over for me!"

With that, she left and Touya turned to the counter to see that another, identical Nurse Joy had already arrived to take her place.

"I'll never understand how they do that..." Touya muttered as he walked over to Juliet, who was sitting there next to Bianca, holding her Pokeballs and talking on the phone.

"But dad!...Yeah, but dad...dad...dad...ugh, okay, I'm at the Pokemon Center. See ya dad..." she said before hanging up.

"What's wrong, Juliet?" asked Touya.

"Her parents are upset that she's following a stranger." said Bianca.

"That's entirely understandable."

"Yeah, but I kept trying to tell them that you're a professor's student! Like, not everyone can have one of those Pokemon," she added, pointing to Sir Hiss' Pokeball, "and no one but a professor's student would ever have a Pokedex!"

Touya felt a little alarmed at how knowledgable she was about all this...it was certainly hard to believe she was in preschool!

"Oh Juliet," said Bianca with a smile, "I know what you're going through. My dad's the same way."

"Really?" asked Juliet.

"Really! He didn't want me to leave on my Pokemon journey, even after Professor Juniper told him that I was going to be her student and that I'd be safe because of my Pokemon! He let me go eventually, but...not before we argued about it..."

_"No, no, a thousand times no!"_

_"But, I'm... I'm a good Trainer who got a Pokemon and everything! I can totally go on an adventure!"_

_"What nonsense is this? How could my daughter, who knows nothing about the world, be going on a journey with Pokemon?"_

"How did you get him to say yes?" asked Juliet.

"I didn't, really," said Bianca, "mom and Professor Juniper eventually convinced him to let me go. He wasn't happy about it in the slightest, but it seems he couldn't cope with the idea of me being out in the world on my own."

"Well, I guess it's different with Juliet," said Touya, "I mean, you're a teenager, but she's a preschooler."

Juliet shot a glare at Touya, while Bianca chuckled. Soon, a man wearing a business suit entered.

"Daddy?" asked Juliet.

"I came as soon as you told me where you were, Juliet!" said the man, before turning to Touya and Bianca, "And this young man must be Touya."

"Nice to meet you, sir." said Touya.

"My name's Bianca!"

"Hello to you too. Now Touya, my daughter says that you're one of Professor Juniper's students. Is this true?"

"Bianca and I are both students of Professor Juniper."

After a pause, Juliet's father said, "I don't suppose you have any _proof_ of this claim, do you?"

Without skipping a beat, Touya pulled out his Pokedex and showed him the ID page, showing Touya and all his stats, the Pokemon he had on hand, et cetera. Juliet's father sighed and said "Alright, your story checks out. But I'm trusting you to look out for my daughter, okay? She means the world to me."

"I understand," said Touya, smiling, "Don't worry, she'll be safe with me."

Juliet's father picked her up and kissed the top of her head before saying "Now stay close to him, Juliet and don't get into any trouble, okay?"

"Okay daddy."

"I love you and mommy loves you too," said her father as he left.

"Love you daddy!" called out Juliet. Once he was out of earshot, she sighed and said "Jeez, I thought he'd NEVER leave!"

Bianca laughed and Touya rolled his eyes.

\----

"So you're going to face off against Lenora?" asked Juliet as they left the Center.

"Yep!" said Touya, smiling with Sir Hiss draped over his shoulder, "Cheren probably already did, right Bianca?"

"Knowing him, yes," said Bianca, looking annoyed, "he still doesn't know when to slow down."

"Cut him some slack, Bianca. He grew up watching the Unova League every year. Now that he's old enough to compete, of course he's gonna jump into it!"

"I know, but he's going to fast! It's driving me nuts!"

"It's driving her nuts because she has a giant crush on him." Touya said to Juliet, who giggled.

"I DO NOT!" shouted Bianca, blushing furiously.

"So have you met Lenora, Juliet?" asked Touya, ignoring Bianca.

"Yeah, lots of times!" said Juliet, smiling, "My class takes field trips to Lenora's Gym a lot!"

"Really?" asked Bianca.

"Lenora's Gym is also the Nacrene Museum of Natural History," said Juliet, "so we usually go there for educational purposes, but once a month we get to watch her battle people who challenge the Gym for the Basic Badge!"

"I know about that. I've been to her Gym before," said Touya, "but only the museum part. My dad took me and my sister there to see the Prehistoric Pokemon skeletons."

"Yeah," said Juliet, lighting up, "those are so cool!"

Bianca smiled and said "I hope Dewott and I will be able to fight against her."

"You will, Bianca. I'm sure of it." said Touya.

As the three headed to the Gym, a familiar figure emerged from its doors. A familiar, green-haired, pretty faced figure...

"N?" asked Touya, staring at the older boy as he turned around in surprise to see him.

"Who?" asked Bianca.

"A guy Cheren and I met in Accumula Town." 

"Hello there, Touya," said N, smiling his usual, slightly unnerving smile, "I see your Snivy has grown. He's looking healthy."

Sir Hiss snapped his jaws at N irritably.

"Are these other friends of yours?" he added, gesturing toward Bianca and Juliet.

"Yes," said Touya, "This is Bianca and that's Juliet."

"Hi there," said Bianca.

"Hey!" said Juliet.

N suddenly looked very serious and said, "So are you looking to battle the Gym Leader?"

"Yes," said Touya, "I take it you have a problem with this?"

"To be blunt, yes. You're so willing to put your Pokemon through such violent battles for the sake of status. It's a shame really, I assumed you were better than that."

"Status?" said Touya, trying to stifle a laugh, "N, I think you have me confused with my friend Cheren! I'm nobody special, I'm just in this because I love Pokemon and want to learn more about them!"

N looked at him. For the second time, he seemed surprised that Touya responded the way he did. 

"Look, Touya," said N, "I know you think that you love Pokemon, and I believe you feel strongly about it. But my love for Pokemon is stronger than yours. I want to see things no one can see. The truths of Pokemon inside Pokeballs. The ideals of how trainers should be. And a future where Pokemon have become perfect... Do you feel the same?"

"Not really." said Touya, having not quite understood what he said.

"Huh. I expected more from you. Now pay attention. My friends and I will test you to see if you can see this future, too. Let's have another battle!"

"What?" asked Touya, feeling uneasy, "A-Are you sure?"

"Yes! I want to hear your Pokemon's voice again!"

"Do it, Touya!" shouted Juliet, "This guy's crazy!"

Touya looked at Bianca, who just gave him a supporting smile. Touya sighed and called out "Alright then. But you go first!"

"Go, Pidove!" shouted N as a Pidove burst out of his Pokeball, fluttering in the air and ruffling its feathers.

"Go, Z-Stripe!" shouted Touya.

"Pidove, use Gust!" called out N. The Pidove obeyed and rapidly flapped its wings, kicking up a wind in the process. Z-Stripe held her ground as the wind whipped around her.

"Z-Stripe," shouted Touya, "use Thundershock!"

Z-Stripe fired an electric attack at the Pidove, which let out a squawk and collapsed onto the ground. N returned the Pidove and sent out a Tympole. Sir Hiss jumped down from Touya's shoulder and smirked as he glared at the small sound producing tadpole.

"Tympole," said N, "use Supersonic!"

A loud shriek burst from the Tympole's mouth, reverberated by its round, pressure sensetive spheres on either side of its head. Sir Hiss gritted his fangs--even though he had no ears, the vibrations created by the Tympole's attack were enough to nearly stun him.

"Don't be discouraged Sir Hiss!" called out Touya, "Use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss did just that, sending a swirling storm of leaves at his opponent. The Tympole let out a yelp as the leaves cut into its skin and N returned it to its Pokeball. N pulled out one more Pokeball and sent out a Timburr; the little mammal gripped a huge chunk of wood in its hands and jumped up and down with a smirk as Touya sent out Breezy.

"Breezy!" called out Touya, "Use Air Cutter!"

Breezy sat there for a second, staring off into space. N grinned and Touya facepalmed.

"I said USE AIR CUTTER!"

Breezy squawked and was about to attack but then Timburr hit him with a Low Kick. Fortunately, Breezy was swiftly brought back to reality by said kick. He flapped his wings and produced a sharp wind that hit the Timburr point blank. The Timburr growled angrily and N called out "Use Leer!"

As Timburr leered at him, Breezy just hovered in the air for a second and paid no attention. It was Touya's turn to grin.

"I guess I'm lucky that Pidove's aren't very smart! Hit him with an Air Slash Breezy!"

Breezy sent out another, quicker gust of wind that hit the Timburr again, knocking him out cold. N returned the Timburr, sighing.

"I cannot see the future yet... The world is still to be determined..." he said.

"Hey, N," said Touya, "I didn't get the chance to congratulate you last time. So you want me to do it now?"

He held out a hand for N to shake. N just shook his head.

"Right now, my friends aren't strong enough to save all Pokemon." N said, looking very serious, "Maybe I can't solve the equation that will change the world. So, I need power... Power enough to make anyone agree with me."

Touya felt confused. He looked at Bianca and Juliet. Bianca just shrugged while Juliet made a hand motion to signal that she thought N was crazy. Turning his attention back to N he saw him turning to leave.

"Now I know what power I need." he said, "Zekrom! The legendary Pokemon that, along with the hero, created the Unova region." he turned to look at Touya, "It's my turn to become that hero--and you and I will be friends!"

With that, he left, leaving Touya, Bianca and Juliet all incredibly confused.

\----

"Who is that guy, anyway?" asked Juliet as they sat in the park. 

They had decided to let out their Pokemon to give them some time to relax. Sir Hiss was sunning himself on a rock, Z-Stripe and Breezy were eating in the grass, Ruff and Prima were play wrestling and Sea Monkey sat in a nearby tree, eating a berry. Bianca's Dewott was nibbling on some fish-shaped treats that Bianca had given him while her Herdier and Pansear napped underneath the tree Sea Monkey was in. Her Munna floated overhead, singing. Juliet's Petilil and Cottonee were sitting on either side of Sir Hiss, soaking up the sun's rays right alongside him.

"I'm not sure," said Touya, "Cheren and I encountered him back in Accumula Town. He calls himself N though."

"More importantly," asked Bianca, "why would he mention Zekrom of all Pokemon?"

"Zekrom?" asked Juliet.

"You haven't heard of Zekrom?" asked Touya.

"They don't teach that part of Unova's history in preschool," said Bianca, "Zekrom is said to be a really powerful Pokemon that helped the two founders of Unova."

"No one really knows if it existed, though," said Touya, "most records of its existence are kind of sketchy."

"Well if that's true," asked Juliet, "then why does this N guy want to find a Pokemon that probably doesn't exist?"

"It sounds like he wants to free Pokemon with Zekrom's power," said Touya, "to be honest, despite N's strange qualities, I don't think he's that bad."

Bianca and Juliet looked at him in alarm.

"What?" asked Touya, defensively, "He's a little weird, yeah, but he does seem to really love Pokemon. Though I do wonder what happened to his Purrloin..."

\----

N had healed his Pokemon already at the Pokemon Center. Standing in the forest, he smiled as he let out the Pokemon he had captured. Timburr ran off back into the forest. Pidove flew off, perching in a nearby tree. Tympole bounced into a nearby stream, swimming away.

"Thank you for helping me, friends," said N smiling, "now be free and safe. If another trainer captures you, I'll be back in time to save you from them."

A pair of blue eyes peered from the bushes behind him. N turned to look at them and smiled.

_"Come along, friend..."_

The blue-eyed Pokemon emerged and followed N out, as it always did.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Touya's dad is still around XD I imagine him to be a scientist who works with Professor Juniper. He probably won't be showing up any time soon, though.  
> And I bet you know who the Pokemon following N at the end is ;)


	9. The Basic Badge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Phew! I'm SO sorry this is late. I'm back in school, and most of my classes are online so I'm not sure if I'll be able to contribute as much to this. And I've already been uploading super slow, sorry 'bout that too. I wanted to at least update with one new chapter before school completely swallows me up and all my writing projects end up having to be school related. I hope you guys like this one!

When Touya and the girls headed back to the hotel that afternoon, they met a wide-eyed Cheren sitting in the lobby.

"Hey Cheren," said Touya, "have you battled Lenora?"

"YES." said Cheren in a hoarse, shell-shocked voice.

"Did you win?" asked Bianca.

"YES. But not easily! I was wrong, Touya, she IS a tough and hard trainer! I thought I had an edge because she had Normal-types and my Tepig evolved into a Fighting-type, but she had this massively damaging move called 'Retaliate'!"

"Retaliate?" asked Juliet.

"I've heard of that," said Bianca, "it's a Normal-type move that gets stronger if a previous ally has fainted."

"And because of that attack," said Cheren, "I nearly wiped out completely! Thank Arceus that my Pignite had Arm Thrust, or I'd have never beaten her!"

"You're such a drama queen, Cheren." said Bianca with a chuckle.

"I AM NOT!" said Cheren, "Now let me continue wallowing in self pity!"

"Who's this guy, Touya?" asked Juliet.

"He's our friend Cheren," said Touya, "hey Cheren, this is Juliet. She's a preschooler who wants to learn some stuff from me."

"Nice to meet you, Juliet." said Cheren, shaking her hand.

"Likewise." said Juliet.

"I booked two rooms for the hotel we'll be staying at," said Bianca, "I figured it'd be cheaper! We'll probably be doubling up as a result."

"I think that means you should room with Bianca, Juliet." said Touya.

"'Kay!" said Juliet.

"We'll have fun!" said Bianca, cheerfully.

"Touya and I will take the other room, then." said Cheren, smiling as the four of them headed over to their rooms.

\----

"Yeah mom," said Touya speaking to his mother on his XTranciever, "Cheren and I are in our room in the hotel. Bianca and Juliet took the other one."

...

"Cheren? He's in the shower, he says he has to wash off the stench of failure. Even though he won this match."

...

"Yeah, he is a drama queen, heh."

...

"He says Lenora's pretty tough. Her Pokemon use this attack called 'Retaliate', which makes her current Pokemon stronger if one of her previous ones faints. And she can use up to six Pokemon, all with that attack, apparently."

...

"Yeah, I won't lie, I'm a little nervous. I didn't do so well on my first try with a Gym battle."

...

"Yes, I know, she did great, thanks a lot mom."

...

"Alright mom, I'll do my best."

...

"Love you too mom. Bye."

Touya hung up the XTranceiver and Cheren exited the bathroom, toweling his hair dry.

"Touya, shower's free." he said.

"Thanks." said Touya, getting up and heading in the bathroom.

\----

When Touya had finished showering and changed into his pajamas, he looked at his Pokemon, all currently in their Pokeballs. None of them were particularly strong or weak to Normal moves. Did he really have a chance against Lenora? He tried to think of a possible strategy--Lenora specialized in Normal-types. Sir Hiss' special attacks would probably be a good counter against physical attacks, but he couldn't be sure. Maybe he should give one of them an item for good measure.

"Yeah, lookin' good Cheren..."

Touya paused in the middle of his thoughts as he walked into the room to see Cheren standing and posing in front of a full-body mirror in the corner of the room. He was in nothing but his boxers and smirking confidently to himself.

"Lookin' _real_ good! What's that, Bianca? Ever since I became the Unova League champion you can't keep your eyes off me?"

"Oh Cheren, take me now!" said Touya, doing an intentionally bad impersonation of Bianca.

"AH!" said Cheren, backing up against the mirror in shock, his face flushing a deep red as Touya laughed, "H-h-h-how long have you been standing there!?"

"Long enough to see you make a dork out of yourself."

Cheren trembled with embarrassment. "If you tell ANYONE about this, ESPECIALLY Bianca, so help me I'll--"

"Relax, Cheren, I won't!" said Touya, laughing, "But uh...do you do this often?"

"NO!" said Cheren, still blushing, "Just...let's go to sleep, okay?"

Cheren got into his bed and Touya chuckled as he got into his own.

"Sure," said Touya, "but first..."

Touya let out all of his Pokemon. Sir Hiss smirked and slithered up to Touya's pillow, while Prima, Breezy, Ruff and Z-Stripe all found somewhere to rest.

"You're gonna let your Pokemon out of their Pokeballs so they can rest?" asked Cheren.

"Yeah. I figure it's more comfortable for them! You don't do that?"

"Not really," said Cheren.

Touya shrugged.

"I guess to each their own," he said as he rolled over and laid down next to Sir Hiss, "Good night."

"G'night."

\----

The next day, Touya headed to the Gym with Sir Hiss, Juliet and Bianca alongside him. 

"You'll do great, Touya!" said Juliet as they entered the Gym.

The museum's entrance was exactly as Touya remembered it. Center stage was the skeleton of a prehistoric Dragonite. To the left was a preserved Armaldo fossil, and to the right was a large ceremonial mask. There was also a large script made of stone behind the mask and in front there were large bones used as weapons by Marowaks and Cubones. Scientists were walking around and talking with each other.

"Is this my next opponent?" said a soft, deep woman's voice. The three turned to see a tall, curvy woman with dark skin and curly dark blue hair.

"Hi Lenora!" said Juliet.

"Hello, Lenora," said Touya, "I'm Touya Black. I think you know my dad, Angus Black?"

"Hmm...scientist from Nuvema Town?" said Lenora.

"Yes." said Touya.

"Yes, I remember him. I believe I recall him bringing you and your sister here when you two were little. And I remember your sister battling me a couple years back, and she was tough!"

"Yes I know, my sister's super amazing." said Touya, sarcastically.

Bianca chuckled and Juliet just stood there, looking confused. Touya muttered that he would explain to her later.

Lenora, meanwhile just chuckled along with Bianca and said "So you and Bianca are students of Professor Juniper? I take it that the Servine draped around your neck is your starter."

"Yes." said Touya as Sir Hiss cheerfully accepted a scratch under the chin from Lenora.

"Well as long as you don't have any Ghost-types, I think you'll be fine. Would you like to battle now?"

"I suppose so." said Touya.

"Then follow me." said Lenora.

\----

Bianca and Juliet sat in the bleachers on the left side of Lenora's Gym stadium. Touya had to admit, he liked the fact that it was just two people watching this battle. It made him less anxious.

"How many badges do you have?" asked Lenora.

"Just one, the Trio Badge." answered Touya.

"Okay then," she said, picking out two Pokeballs from a nearby drawer, "I'll just use these two Pokemon, if that's alright with you."

"Yes, I suppose that's fair. I'll just use two as well."

"Alright then. Go HERDIER!"

A large dog Touya recognized as the evolved form of Lillipup burst out of Lenora's Pokeball.

"Sir Hiss, go get 'em!"

Sir Hiss jumped down from Touya's shoulder, sneering smugly at his canine opponent.

"Sir Hiss, use Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss smirked menacingly and shot out a pair of vines from his shoulders and coiled them around the Herdier. He hoisted up his opponent and prepared to toss her down.

"Use Bite, Herdier!"

Herdier promptly sunk her teeth into one of Sir Hiss' vines. Sir Hiss let out a screech and dropped the dog back to the ground. The Herdier landed safely and growled at her foe.

"Leaf Tornado, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss shot a swarm of leaves at the Herdier, which let out a yelp as her body was cut with the leaves. She looked at Sir Hiss irritably, before turning to her trainer with concern.

"Don't be discouraged, Herdier," said Lenora, "use Take Down!"

Herdier ran at Sir Hiss and started hitting him repeatedly with her head. When she was finally done, Sir Hiss glared at her as she breathed with exhaustion. Touya knew that move--it caused recoil damage, so Herdier's health was also reduced. For all intents and purposes, Sir Hiss should be able to knock her out, but he couldn't be sure.

Sir Hiss turned to look at Touya, awaiting instructions.

"Sir Hiss, try using Wrap!"

Sir Hiss extended one of his vines and wrapped it around Herdier's waist. He tightened the coils as much as he could, Herdier writhing and barking. She attempted to twist around and bite her attacker, but Sir Hiss simply tightened his coils with every move she made. Her already reduced health was reduced even further by her desperate attempts to escape from her captor's coils. Sir Hiss sneered as eventually Herdier collapsed into unconsciousness and Lenora recalled her Pokemon.

"Great job, Sir Hiss!" said Touya as he knelt down and fist bumped the grass snake.

"Don't celebrate just yet, kiddo," said Lenora, smiling, "Go Watchog!"

"Sir Hiss, return," said Touya, "go Z-Stripe!"

Z-Stripe burst out of her Pokeball with a loud "Yip!"

"Watchog," said Lenora, "RETALIATE!"

The Watchog growled angrily and leaped on Z-Stripe and started to scratch, bite and punch her. Z-Stripe backed away and snarled furiously. She looked at her trainer, who smiled encouragingly.

"Don't be discouraged, Z-Stripe! Use Thundershock!"

Z-Stripe turned to her opponent and fired an electric shock at her. The Watchog was scowling, her coat glowing faintly.

"Retaliate again, Watchog!"

Watchog used the same move again, physically attacking her opponent at blinding speed. Z-Stripe was really angry now, electricity coursing through her mane.

"Use Thundershock, Z-Stripe!"

Z-Stripe shocked her opponent again, causing the little mammal to jump back, its fur standing on end. She showed signs of fatigue, and Touya was sure they'd win...but then Lenora pulled out a Super Potion. A swift spraying and the Watchog was back to normal.

"It always helps to have some of these on hand!" said Lenora with a grin, "Now use Hypnosis, Watchog!"

Watchog's striped patterns and eyes began flashing all different colors, creating a dazzling and mesmerizing display of color. Z-Stripe tried to resist, but she kept looking into her opponent's eyes and stripes. Soon, she was in a trance. Her eyelids were becoming droopy, her stance more ungainly. Eventually, Z-Stripe slipped into a deep sleep. 

"Crap!" said Touya, deeply concerned now...he really should have stocked up on Awakens.

"Now Watchog," declared Lenora, "finish this with another Retaliate!"

The match was swiftly ended. Touya's already sleeping Pokemon was promptly knocked out by another hit from Lenora's signature move. Touya sighed and returned his Pokemon. He looked at Lenora with a smile.

"Good game, Lenora," he said, deciding to be sportsmanlike about the situation.

"Yeah, sorry about that, kid," said Lenora in a calm, almost soothing voice that certainly helped ease the blow of his loss, "I look forward to our rematch, I'm sure you'll do better then."

Touya nodded as Bianca and Juliet left the stands and joined Touya on the stadium floor. The three headed off to the Pokemon Center.

\----

Touya healed up his Pokemon and he, Bianca and Juliet headed to the park.

"Touya," asked Bianca, "are you still gonna rematch Lenora?"

"Yes," said Touya, letting his Pokemon out, "but first I'm gonna give my Pokemon some R and R. Sir Hiss and Z-Stripe took some pretty severe punishment with Lenora, and I want them to relax. Alright, roll call! Sir Hiss?"

"Ssss!"

"Prima?"

"Tch!"

"Ruff?"

"Bark!"

"Sea Monkey?"

"Cree!"

"Breezy?"

"Coo."

"Z-Stripe?"

"YIP!"

"Alright, the gang's all here!"

"Wait, where's your Munna?" asked Bianca.

"REM? I left him at the Daycare."

"Oh I love the Daycare!" said Juliet, "My parents take me there sometimes to play with the Pokemon!"

"Yeah, I figured REM needed some rest after the last battle I had with him. I'll get him back soon."

"Well, okay then."

"For now, guys?"

Sea Monkey and Prima looked at him.

"And girls...who wants to have fun?"

The Pokemon all let out cheery sounds and ran to their trainer. Touya caught Sir Hiss who had leaped toward him with a smile and then petted Z-Stripe, who nuzzled him, causing him to feel some static electricity on his pants. Prima turned to Ruff and smirked, which initiated a little wrestling match while Sea Monkey watched with a laugh. Breezy fluttered up and perched on Touya's shoulder, preening his feathers and then turning to "preen" Touya's hair. Bianca smiled and Juliet giggled.

"Your Pokemon sure do like you, Touya!" said Bianca.

"Yeah, and I like them!" said Touya walking over to a bench while Z-Stripe followed him (Sir Hiss was still in his arms and Breezy was on his shoulder). He sat down and Bianca sat next to him, while Juliet let out her own Pokemon and started playing with them herself.

"I love my Pokemon a lot too," said Bianca, "but sometimes I worry they're not strong enough. I mean, after seeing your battle with Lenora I was worried that they wouldn't be able to handle her."

"Well how many Pokemon do you have?"

Bianca let out her Pokemon and said "Just four, Dewott, Lillipup, Pansear and Munna."

Dewott stood with his usual serious expression, Lillipup smiled cheerily and kindly, Pansear yawned sleepily and Munna floated overhead.

"I think they look great," said Touya, prompting an envious nuzzle from Sir Hiss, "and you look great too, Sir Hiss. Anyway, Bianca, who said a Pokemon has to be strong? Pokemon can do other things besides battling, like help with scientific research or compete in contests or perform in plays or..."

"Well, I just figured that if I'm gonna compete in the League like you and Cheren, we'd have to be strong!"

"Bianca, do you _want_ to compete in the League?"

"Yes!"

"And why do you want to compete in the League?"

"Because you and Cheren do!"

"And if Cheren and I wanted to throw ourselves off of a building while screaming 'for the glory of Arceus', would you?"

"Now you're starting to sound like my dad." said Bianca, pouting.

"Well, I'm sorry, Bianca," said Touya, scratching Sir Hiss' head with one hand and petting Z-Stripe with the other, "but you shouldn't compete in the League just because Cheren and I are doing it. I'm mostly just competing in it for fun, and as an opportunity to travel so I can fill my Pokedex, and Cheren's doing it 'cause he wants to win. What do you hope to get out of competing in the Unova League?"

"Well...um..."

"You don't have an answer, do you?"

"I...not really..."

"Bianca, just stop thinking about what Cheren and I wanna do and think about what _you_ wanna do, okay?"

"But I'm not sure what I want to do."

"You don't have to know now. Just think about it, okay?"

"Well...okay. But I'm still gonna challenge Lenora, and the next few Gyms!"

"That's cool," said Touya, before hearing a noise and turning to look near the lake, "hey look, I think your Pansear is having some fun with Sea Monkey!"

"PANSEAR DO _NOT_ GO IN THE WATER!!!" shouted Bianca getting up and running toward her Pokemon.

Touya chuckled.

\----

Touya's next couple of attempts against Lenora didn't go so well, though each time he did improve. His first rematch attempt opened with Z-Stripe taking down the first opponent (Watchog this time) effortlessly, before Sir Hiss was sent out against the second. Unfortunately, Sir Hiss was swiftly taken down by Retaliate. The next attempt went a little better, with Touya opting to use Breezy first. Breezy managed to dodge most of the attacks from Herdier and almost did the same with Watchog (costing Touya his chance to swap on his second turn), until he was distracted at a critical moment and promptly taken down, in more ways than one. This time, however, he felt ready. He knew that Lenora was a strategist, so he needed to strategize himself... 

"Sir Hiss!" called out Touya, "Use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss obeyed immediately. His first move was firing as many leaves at Herdier as possible on a swift wind, cutting into her fur and flesh.

"Herdier!" called out Lenora, "Use Take Down!"

Herdier ran at Sir Hiss and slammed headfirst into him, hitting him hard and dealing recoil damage. But that's when Touya's strategizing really showed. Sir Hiss grinned and revealed a berry hidden in his collar. With a swift nibble, a good bit of his health was restored.

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado again!"

Sir Hiss snickered and swiftly stormed the tornado at Herdier again. Lenora returned Herdier with a grin and said "You're learning. But let's see how well you can deal against this..."

She let out Watchog and called out "Retaliate, Watchog!"

The Watchog attacked Sir Hiss in a flurry of punches and scratches, but Sir Hiss sneered and nibbled his berry again.

"Leaf Tornado again, Sir Hiss!" Touya called out.

Sir Hiss sent his leafy wind at the Watchog who scowled and glared at him.

"Hypnosis, Watchog!"

Watchog's patterns began flashing again, and Sir Hiss became drowsy. But Touya had anticipated this...Sir Hiss pulled out his berry again, and now Lenora could see clearly what kind of berry it was...

"A Chesto berry!"

"One bite of it and a Pokemon recovers from attacks that put them to sleep!" said Touya, "Finish this, Sir Hiss! One more Leaf Tornado!"

A hurricane of plant matter hit Watchog and soon enough, the little mammal fainted. Lenora returned her and smiled at Touya. Bianca and Juliet both cheered.

"Congratulations, Touya!" said Lenora, "You've earned this!"

She handed him the Basic Badge, as well as the TM for Retaliate.

"With the Basic Badge, Pokemon up to level thirty will obey you."

"Thanks so much, Lenora!"

"I knew you could do it, Touya!" said Bianca running up to her friend and hugging him.

"Me too!" said Juliet, "I say we throw a party!"

Suddenly, the lights shut off. 

"That was fast," said Juliet.

"That wasn't us," said Lenora, letting out another Watchog, who used the patterns on her fur to light the place up, "something must be wrong..."

She pulled out a cellphone and dialed a number by the light of her Pokemon's patterns, "Hawes, honey, what's going on out there?"

"I'm afraid I don't know dear," said the man known as Hawes, "there appears to be a security breach...oh wait!"

The lights flickered back on, and Lenora looked around.

"Is everyone okay?"

"I'm fine!" said Touya.

"Me too." said the girls.

"Something's not right..."

"AHHHHHH!"

They turned to see a thin man in a labcoat running up to Lenora in a panic.

"Lenora my darling! It's awful, just awful!"

"What's wrong, Hawes!?"

"The Dragonite skeleton...someone stole its skull!"

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hope you enjoyed this chapter! Hopefully I'll be able to make more soon, until then later days!


	10. A Battle and a Tragedy

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! We're back with another chapter!

As Touya, Bianca, Juliet, Lenora and her husband exited the Gym and entered the museum, place was in chaos. Scientists were running around in panic. A couple of Officer Jennys with Stoutlands on leashes arrived, trying to investigate and asking staff members questions. Touya looked up at the Dragonite skeleton, which was now headless. It made him feel slightly sad, and he could see why this would affect the staff.

"Sweet Arceus," said Bianca, "Who would do such a thing?"

"And how the heck did someone take the skull without a ladder?" asked Juliet.

Touya turned to see one of the Officer Jennys and listened to what she was saying.

"So what exactly did you see?"

"There were two people, a man and a woman...they were both dressed in white coats and wearing hoods..."

Touya's eyes widened. 

"Sir," he said walking up to the scientist Officer Jenny was interviewing, "If you don't mind me asking, did the two people have blue insignias on their chests?"

"Yes, I think so..."

"Guys," said Touya, turning to the others, "I think this was Team Plasma's doing!"

"You are correct, my little friend!" said a voice.

The group turned around to see a tall, slim man with long, curly reddish brown hair. He was wearing green and had a scarf around his neck, and his expression was one brimming with pride and confidence. Standing next to him was a five-foot-tall stick insect, which Touya recognized as a Leavanny.

"Hi there, Lenora sweetie!"

"Hello, Burgh." said Lenora, sounding slightly exasperated but also rather happy.

"Burgh?" asked Touya, "You mean the Castelia City Gym Leader?"

"In the living flesh!" said Burgh, striking a dramatic pose that was promptly mimicked by the giant insect standing next to him, "I knew Team Plasma was up to something here, they've been causing trouble back in Castelia too! I'm really sorry I couldn't be here sooner, Len, but I had my hands tied."

"You came just in time," said Lenora, "they stole the skull from the Dragonite skeleton just now."

"Lenora loves that skull," sulked Lenora's husband in dismay.

"Don't worry Lenny," said Burgh, grinning at Lenora, "I'll take the case! And I'm enlisting these kids to help me!"

"What?" asked Touya and Bianca in unison.

"Sweet!" said Juliet.

"Yes!" said Burgh, "I'll need all the help I can get. There's another kid I enlisted the help of too, and he's outside right now!"

"Don't tell me," said Bianca, "is it a kid with dark hair, glasses and a hot-blooded attitude?"

"Yes!"

"That's Cheren!" said Touya. Bianca facepalmed and Juliet giggled.

"Yeah, that's definitely how he introduced himself to me!" said Burgh. Cheren walked in as if on cue and smiled.

"Hey guys," he said, "Burgh has enlisted me to help with the investigation!"

"So you and Burgh hit it off?" asked Bianca.

"HE SIGNED MY GYM LEADER TRADING CARD, WANNA SEE?" said Cheren, excitedly.

Touya laughed and Bianca rolled her eyes. Pokemon League trading cards were a popular fad back in the day. They usually portrayed Gym Leaders, Elite Four members, Champions from the past and present and members of their Pokemon teams, all from different regions and with stats and biographical information on all of them. Burgh's stats, for example, included his age, his full name, the Pokemon in his team and some trivia, such as the fact that Elite Four Grimsley is his roommate. Touya and Cheren took to collecting the things at first, but Touya lost interest and Bianca was never interested. Didn't stop Cheren from collecting ALL of them though.

"Touya," said Bianca, "you may need some assistance for finding the skull, so here, take this Dowsing Machine."

She handed a small machine with an antenna and a screen on it to him. He smiled and said "Thanks Bianca."

"I say we split up!" said Burgh, "Lenora, you search the town!"

"Of course," said Lenora, "it's _my_ town."

"Bianca, you and Cheren stake out the museum!"

"Yes sir!" said Bianca.

"And Touya," he added, "you come with me to the Pinwheel Forest!"

"Juliet," said Touya, "I want you to stay here with Cheren and Bianca."

"Can't I go with you?" said Juliet, looking disappointed, "I can fight Team Plasma or whatever they're called!"

"If you stay here and Team Plasma shows up, then you can help Bianca and Cheren fight them."

"Oh. Okay then, I'll do my best!"

\----

The Pinwheel Forest was dark and peaceful looking. It was night time, but fortunately, Burgh had a flashlight with him. Touya walked with Burgh who still had Leavanny walking by his side. 

"Hey Burgh," said Touya, "I couldn't help but notice that your Leavanny is out of its Pokeball. If you don't mind me asking, why is that?"

"Oh, it's just Leavanny day!"

"Leavanny day?"

"Every day I designate one of my on-hand Pokemon as one that I'll keep out of his or her Pokeball for the day. Today, it was Leavanny."

"I usually only do that with Sir Hiss. I think I'll do that with the rest sometime too."

"You should," said Burgh, "it's a great way to bond with every member of your team!"

Touya paused for a moment and let out one of his Pokemon at random. He got Z-Stripe, who yipped cheerfully at the sight of her trainer. Touya smiled and ran his hand through her static covered mane lovingly as the four walked on.

Suddenly, there was a rustling in the grasses. Touya and Burgh both jumped to alert. 

But instead of Team Plasma grunts, a wild Sewaddle appeared.

"Ah, a Sewaddle!" said Burgh, "That takes me back! I remember when Leavanny here was a baby Sewaddle."

Touya thought about it...he didn't catch a Sewaddle and thus hasn't registered it to the Pokedex. Thinking quickly, he pulled out Breezy's Pokeball.

\----

"Mr. Hanover...Mr. Haaaanoooooveeeeer..."

"WHAT, Petr? Why are you whining so much?"

Mara and Petr were both walking through the forest with one of Team Plasma's agents, Hanover, who was assigned to this particular mission with them. Hanover was a tall, sleek man with slicked back red hair and a rather smug air to him.

"This skull is so heavy!" said Petr, "Can't you help us carry it?"

"Tch, no," scoffed Hanover with a smirk, "I'm the one leading this little operation, you two work for me."

Petr whined again while Mara grumbled. Mara really didn't like Hanover. He was rude, full of himself, annoyingly crass and pretty much the exact opposite of the king she loved so much. She hated having to work with him, as he loved to mock both her, Petr and their Pokemon. And of course, he also mocked the king whenever he wasn't around to hear it, which Mara could NOT tolerate. His Sandile was even worse. It snapped at anyone who went near it (except Hanover himself, of course) and Mara could have sworn that it laughed at her behind her back...granted this was expected regarding Dark-type Pokemon like those.

"I hope we encounter some trainers soon," said Petr, evidently trying to change the subject to lighten things up a little, "I want Patrat to get stronger! I mean, he's tough enough already, but I think it'd be nice for him to learn new moves or even evolve!"

"Would you please quit talking about that stupid rat of yours?" asked Mara, irritably.

"That depends, will you quit talking about our king?"

"That's different," said Mara, "he's an actual human being, you're obsessed with a dumb Pokemon. A Pokemon that you're going to have to release once our lord and master's wishes come true!"

"Don't listen to her Patrat, she's just jealous because her Purrloin hates her."

"Wait a minute...is your Patrat out of its Pokeball?"

"No, no it's not!"

"You were just talking to it!"

"I was talking to its Pokeball!"

"Skreet! Skreet!"

"Aha! You DO have it out of your ball you big softie!"

"Shut up!"

"Skreet!"

"You shut up, and shut your rat up!"

"BOTH OF YOU LITTLE SQUIRTS SHUT UP!" screamed Hanover.

Mara and Petr both froze in fear as they turned to look at him.

"There's someone nearby," he said, smirking evilly, "and I think I know who it is..."

"TEAM PLASMA!" boomed Burgh, dramatically, "Give back that dragon skull!"

"Make us!" said Mara while Petr stuck his tongue out.

"God, what are you two, children?" asked Hanover irritably, "so a Gym Leader and a kid have come to fight us? We're not giving up the skull without a fight!"

"Touya and I aren't afraid of you or your Pokemon! Right Touya?"

"Right!" said Touya, "Go Z-Stripe!"

"Go Leavanny!"

Z-Stripe and Leavanny both jumped forward with enthusiasm, while Mara and Petr set down the skull and sent out their Pokemon as well.

"Z-Stripe," said Touya, "use Thundershock!"

"Leavanny," said Burgh, "use String Shot!"

Z-Stripe hit Patrat with an electric shock, whilst Purrloin was covered in thick silk. Petr looked worried, while Mara looked angry. Hanover, meanwhile just sat back on a rock, sneering to himself.

"Patrat!" said Petr, sounding slightly worried, "Use Scratch!"

Patrat leaped to scratch Z-Stripe, who took the damage...and then, was paralyzed by the Blitzle's static covered fur.

"PATRAT!" moaned a horrified Petr.

"Wow," said Touya, "and her ability isn't even Static!"

"Petr, you're an idiot." said Mara.

"Leavanny," said Burgh, "use Razor Leaf!"

A wind of fiercely sharp leaves hit Mara's Purrloin, cutting into her furry flesh.

"Purrloin, return!" called out Mara, returning her Pokemon to its Pokeball as Petr did the same.

"We did our part!" said Burgh, "Now give back the skull!"

"Not so fast..." said Hanover, smirking, "I still have Pokemon of my own. And I think your Blitzle will love it...Go SANDILE!"

Sure enough, a small, sandy colored crocodilian burst out of Hanover's Pokeball. Touya was immediately worried--Ground-types were naturally resistant to Electric-type moves, so Z-Stripe wasn't a good choice. He'd be better off using Breezy or Sir Hiss--Burgh's Leavanny was already boasting a double type-advantage. He was about to recall Z-Stripe but she looked at him with a confident expression.

"I think Z-Stripe wants to fight, Touya." said Burgh with a smile.

"But his Sandile has a type advantage!"

"Bah! My Leavanny has taken down Flying-type Pokemon! And even if the Sandile turns out to be too tough, don't worry: Leavanny can cover for her!"

"Well okay then...but I'm not using any electric moves! Z-Stripe, use Quick Attack!"

Z-Stripe charged at the Sandile, hitting it hard. The Sandile simply glared darkly at her.

"Sandile," hissed Hanover, "use Taunt!"

The Sandile gave a little taunt at Z-Stripe, who scowled angrily in response. Touya bit his lip--falling for the taunt wasn't a good thing...

"Now use Bite!" said Hanover.

The Sandile scurried over to Z-Stripe and bit into her leg. She scowled and tried to wrench herself free.

"Z-Stripe!"

"Leavanny, use Razor Leaf!" 

Leavanny's leaves sliced into the crocodilian's scaly hide, prompting it to let go of the little equinoid's leg. Z-Stripe huffed. Touya was worried now, as her leg was bleeding a little...

"Z-Stripe, I want you to back down!"

Z-Stripe yipped angrily, evidently not wanting to back down from the fight.

"Z-Stripe!" said Touya, "Return to your Pokeball now!"

Touya tried to return her to her Pokeball, but as soon as he did, she burst back out. She really wanted to fight here.

"Sandile," said Hanover, "hit her with Payback!"

Sandile scowled and hit Z-Stripe several times and hard. Touya was very worried now...he heard a crack when she was hit.

"Z-Stripe," said Touya, desperately, "use Quick Attack again!"

The Blitzle growled...she got up and somewhat desperately moved to hit the Sandile. Sandile gritted its teeth and it looked at her. She was getting weaker, and Touya was extremely worried for her...

"Z-Stripe!" 

Z-Stripe glared at him...the taunt had been too strong, and she wasn't giving up because of it. Burgh glared at Hanover.

"Leavanny, use Struggle Bug!"

Leavanny's claws swiped at the Sandile, who went on to use Bite on it with a sneer. Leavanny pulled its claw out of Sandile's mouth and glared at it as it ran after Z-Stripe again, an evil sneer on its face. The Leavanny was quick to follow.

"Now, Sandile!" called out Hanover with a maniacal grin, "Hit it with a Payback again, give it all you've got!"

"Z-STRIPE!"

Z-Stripe struggled to her feet, but before she could try to counter the move, it was too late. The Sandile hit her with its jaws, its claws, its tail and its feet. It hit her hard and unceasingly, with all the strength it could muster. It didn't stop.

"Z-STRIPE RETURN!" called out Touya, returning her to her Pokeball, "Go Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss stood over the small crocodilian, which looked up in alarm.

"Leaf Tornado, Sir Hiss!"

The snake swiped his tail, sending a wind of leaves all around the croc. The Sandile was knocked out quickly, and Hanover returned it to its Pokeball.

Touya took a deep breath and looked at the Heal Ball that Z-Stripe was in. Something was wrong...the ball wasn't glowing like it usually did when it healed Pokemon...

"Give the skull back, Team Plasma!" called out Burgh.

"Here," said Hanover, picking up the skull and giving it to Burgh before leaving, "take it. As if I care..."

"Hanover," said Mara in a hushed voice as she and Petr followed him, "that Blitzle looked badly hurt...I think you took it too far!"

"Hey, we 'liberate' Pokemon, remember? By any means necessary..."

"Oh dear Arceus," said a terrified Mara, "our king is going to be furious! We weren't supposed to do that!"

"Eh, it's just a Blitzle...who's gonna miss it?"

\----

"Good show, Touya!" said Burgh, "We really sent those Plasma grunts packing!"

"..."

"Touya? What's wrong?"

"Z-Z-Stripe! She's hurt really bad! We need to get her to a Pokemon Center!"

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay everyone. I'm very sorry for what's happening to Z-Stripe here...I'll explain more in the next chapter.
> 
> This is also the first appearance of Hanover, a more ruthless Team Plasma grunt than any of the ones we've met here...


	11. Tragedy Strikes

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay...so...this may have had some bad timing because...my stepfather passed away yesterday.
> 
> Yeah. My family's really shocked. It was very sudden, and we're currently planning the service, which is scheduled around this weekend, I think. I swear that this had no influence on this chapter.
> 
> Well, enough of my personal life; please enjoy this chapter.

"Imbecile! How could you have let this happen!? And you two, why didn't you stop him!?"

Hanover, Mara and Petr all stood in front of Gorm, one of Team Plasma's Seven Sages. The Sages were the seven most senior members of Team Plasma, having the highest authority in the organization, second only to the king. Gorm was an older man with a white beard and colorful robes similar to Ghetsis'. Currently they were at one of the team's many hideaways, this one being in the Pinwheel Forest, and Gorm was scolding the three grunts for their incompetence. Hanover looked bored. Petr looked scared and nervous, his eyes darting about. Mara remained marginally composed, but she was noticeably nervous herself, not taking her eyes off of Gorm.

"Look, I didn't mean to lose the skull," said Hanover, rolling his eyes, "the kid beat us in a Pokemon battle and had a Gym Leader backing him. Gimme a break!"

"I don't care about the skull," said Gorm, regaining his composure somewhat, "we can afford to abandon it as it wasn't the skull of the legendary dragon like we thought. The real point is that you've grievously injured a Pokemon! You went against Team Plasma's orders and the king's beliefs!"

"I tried to tell him that," shrieked Mara, speaking at last, "but he didn't listen!"

"Is it my fault the kid was stupid enough to fight me with an Electric-type? Besides, it was just a Blitzle, there's tons of them all over--"

"Silence!" said Gorm before going on, "Now Hanover, this is your first offense so for now I'll let you off with a warning and won't tell the king or the other Sages. But if you do something like this again, I'll have no choice but to terminate you."

"Okay, okay," said Hanover in annoyance, "can I go now? I'm sick of hanging around these losers!"

Mara and Petr glared at him.

"Yes," said Gorm, "the Shadow Triad will be waiting outside to take you to your next assignment."

"Sweet," said Hanover, smirking as he left the hideout, "see you two nerds later!"

"And as for you two..." said Gorm.

"I told him that he's wasn't supposed to do that!" said Mara, "You know I would never do anything to upset my beloved king!"

"And I don't doubt that," said Gorm, "you two will not be disciplined. At the moment. You two will be reassigned as well. Colress is outside waiting to bring you to your next assignment."

"Can't the king take me?" asked Mara, pouting. Petr rolled his eyes at her.

"The king has enough on his plate right now. Now go."

\----

Touya sat in the Pokemon Center, frantically waiting for Nurse Joy to tell him how Z-Stripe was. He was scared. That Sandile was ruthless in its attack, more ruthless than any Pokemon Touya had ever seen. Bianca was sitting next to Touya, a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Juliet was looking at Touya's Pokedex, feeling a little bored. Cheren was arguing with another Nurse Joy, demanding to know why it was taking so long for them to figure out what was wrong with Z-Stripe.

When the Nurse Joy Touya gave Z-Stripe to finally returned, Touya bolted upward and immediately ran to her in concern.

"Is Z-Stripe okay, ma'am?" he asked immediately.

"Mr. Black...I...I'm very sorry..."

Touya's heart sank and Bianca stood up, looking saddened. Juliet looked up in alarm. Cheren ran over to Touya's side immediately, looking shocked.

"She's...she's dead, isn't she?" asked Touya. 

"There was nothing we could do," said Nurse Joy, solemnly, "her injuries were too severe."

"Why didn't the Heal Ball work!?" asked Cheren, walking up to them, crossing his arms.

"Heal Balls can only do so much. And sometimes, that's not enough."

"Well, thank you anyway," said Touya, sadly, "I...I guess I ought to get going..."

"Wait," said Nurse Joy, "you...you may want to find a good place for her..."

She handed Touya a Heal Ball...Z-Stripe's Heal Ball.

And that's when Touya started crying.

\----

Touya had made a makeshift grave for Z-Stripe in the park, underneath one of the trees. Cheren, Bianca and Juliet accompanied him for the burial, as did his remaining on-hand Pokemon. Juliet sniffled a little. Bianca cried openly, dabbing her eyes with a handkerchief. Cheren remained stoic, but was clearly saddened and angry over the whole thing.

Among Touya's Pokemon, Sir Hiss lowered his head sadly, gripping Touya's pant leg. Breezy didn't seem to understand what was going on. Prima sulked and Ruff whimpered. Sea Monkey actually cried.

"Hey kid," said a familiar, motherly sounding voice.

The group turned to see Lenora, looking at Touya solemnly.

"Burgh told me what happened," she said, "I'm very sorry for your loss. It's not often that a kid loses one of their Pokemon like this."

"Thank you ma'am," said Touya sadly, "I only knew Z-Stripe for a few days, but somehow I feel like that just makes it hurt more...we could've been great friends, and now she's gone. I'm gonna miss her."

"Touya," said Lenora, placing a hand on his shoulder, "as long as you remember her, she'll never truly be gone. She'll still be alive in your head and your heart."

Touya smiled sadly. Lenora had a very calming voice and presence. She reminded him a lot of his mother.

"Thank you ma'am."

Cheren gave an angry noise and everyone looked at him.

"This is all Team Plasma's fault," he said, coldly, "they've gone too far this time, next time I see them, they're gonna pay!"

"Cheren, calm down, please!" said Bianca, "If you act out violently against them that would make you no better than they are!"

"Both of you calm down," said Lenora, "Touya, the other reason I came here was to give you this as a thank you for returning that skull."

She handed him a small round stone that was as black as the night sky.

"A Moon Stone!" said Bianca, excitedly, "It can be used to make certain Pokemon evolve! Including Munna!"

"I guess I ought to use this on REM soon," said Touya, smiling, "thank you, Lenora."

"No, no, Touya," said Lenora, "thank YOU for getting my Dragonite skull back! Now will you three be heading to the next gym?"

"Yes ma'am!" said Cheren, without skipping a beat, "We'll be here for one more night, then we're off to Castelia to face Burgh!"

Touya and Bianca both nodded in confirmation and Juliet simply took Touya's hand with a smile.

"Well okay then," said Lenora, smiling, "I'll see you kids around sometime, and remember your type advantages when facing him!"

"I will!" said Cheren loudly.

Touya turned to look at Z-Stripe's grave with a sad sigh. Bianca placed a hand on his shoulder comfortingly. Touya turned to her, Cheren, Juliet and his Pokemon and smiled sadly before returning his Pokemon to their Pokeballs.

\----

"So what are you gonna do now, Touya?" asked Cheren, brushing his teeth while they were back in their hotel room.

"Well," said Touya, looking pensively into Sir Hiss' large, unblinking eyes as his Pokemon all picked out their sleeping spots, "I've been thinking about it a lot...and I've made a small trial plan."

"And what might that be?" asked Cheren, closing the door slightly so he could change for bed.

"First off," said Touya, "I'm gonna get REM and evolve him using the Moon Stone. Second, I'm going to try and put together a team specifically for battling."

"And the rest?" asked Cheren, emerging from the bathroom and getting into bed.

"I'm going to retire them from battle, at least on a temporary basis."

"What?" asked Cheren, "But why?"

"Today taught me that those Team Plasma guys are dangerous," said Touya, "if their members are really willing to _kill_ Pokemon, even if it goes against their whole 'liberation' nonsense, then I'm not going to risk it. Besides, my main goal isn't really battling, it's filling the Pokedex. I'm going to have to catch at least one of every species native to Unova to fill the regional dex alone, and since I can only carry six to battle and catch with, I honestly doubt that I'll use all of them for battle. So they'll get to retire as early as possible, and I'll send them to either Juniper's Lab, Fennel's lab, or home."

"And what about the team you'll use for battling?"

"I can't catch Pokemon without battling," said Touya, matter-of-factly as he lay down on his bed, "and it also gives me an opportunity to fight back against Team Plasma. For my battle team, I'm not going to repeat what happened to Z-Stripe. My battle team will grow stronger, and we'll fight and train. I'll try to pick out different Pokemon, and soon I'll end up with six Pokemon specifically for the battling purpose. They'll be my strongest ones."

"That's not too bad a plan, actually. Who's gonna be on your battle team?"

"Sir Hiss, definitely," said Touya, sitting up and petting Sir Hiss with a smile, "my starter needs to be on the team of course!"

He petted Ruff, who wagged his tail and panted happily, then picked up Prima who let out a happy squeaking noise.

"Prima and Ruff too," Touya added, lifting Prima up before putting her back down and petting her, "Ruff will be real useful as a Stoutland and Prima's HM and Keen Eye ability will be helpful along the way."

Breezy fluttered to Touya's shoulder while Sea Monkey leaped onto the bed and hugged Touya's waist.

"Sea Monkey and Breezy will be a must, since I'll need a surfer and a flyer, and their types are definitely advantageous--Sea Monkey can handle Rock-types and Fire-types, while Breezy deals with Fighting and Bug-types. And both of them can handle Ground-types.

He picked up his Pokedex, looking at a picture of a Munna.

"REM I'm undecided on."

"Hmm," said Cheren, sounding a little drowsy, "alright then. You can think about it more tomorrow I suppose. Goodnight, Touya."

"Goodnight." said Touya, as he lay back down. It wasn't long before he fell asleep.

Sir Hiss looked at his trainer, as his teammates were looking around for places to sleep. He paused, tilting his head. He had grown fond of his trainer. He was trying to make him stronger, and as a proud battler, Sir Hiss liked that. Touya was also very kind, loving his Pokemon dearly and was deeply saddened when the Blitzle he named Z-Stripe was killed by that Sandile. Sir Hiss smiled and slithered over to Touya's side, coiling up and falling asleep next to his face.

Touya's other Pokemon saw this. Prima and Ruff looked at each other and smiled before racing up to Touya's side. The two little mammals fell sound asleep, curled up together for warmth. Breezy flew up to the head rest on the bed, puffed up his feathers and fell asleep with his beak beneath his wing. Sea Monkey leaped up again and fell leaned back on the pillow, falling asleep quickly.

\----

Juliet's father drove Touya to the Day Care to pick up REM and use the Moon Stone on him. REM immediately transformed into his next form, a Musharna. He was larger now, and produced more dream mist from his head. Touya smiled and returned him to his Pokeball.

"Nice to have you back, REM," said Touya, smiling, "let's go to Castelia City..."

With that, Touya and Juliet packed their things and headed across the Skyarrow Bridge.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...yeah. Why did I kill off Z-Stripe? Well, two specific reasons:  
> 1\. I never really decided to keep my Blitzle on the team. I ended up putting her away, mainly 'cause I was never that into Blitzle. That said, I didn't want to depict Touya giving up Z-Stripe in favor of some other Pokemon because that would feel cruel. For me, Z-Stripe was just a bundle of pixels on a flickering video screen, but for Touya, she's a real living animal that he was supposed to form a bond with, not to mention has a powerful offensive typing against various Pokemon. Killing her off came off as a good way of explaining why she suddenly vanishes from Touya's team.  
> 2\. To show how dangerous Team Plasma can be. That some of their members are willing to really hurt or even kill Pokemon if they have to. It also shows that some Team Plasma grunts are just hypocrites who don't really care about Pokemon at all.
> 
> Will any other Pokemon die later? Probably not, don't worry. If it becomes plot-relevant, I might, but that will be unlikely. Next installment will feature another evolution, level grinding for a certain birb and a gym battle!


	12. Castelia City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> PHEW! It's been a long time, hasn't it? At least in terms of fanfic updating time ^_^; School has been a killer XD  
> Enjoy this new chapter!

Touya crossed the Skyarrow Bridge with Juliet and Breezy by his side. He decided that he wanted to train up Breezy for this next gym, knowing that he'd have an advantage against Burgh's Bug-types. Flying-types, being primarily avian, bat-like or pterosaur-like in nature, were known to prey on insects, solidifying their advantage against Bug-types.

Thinking about type advantages during the long trip across the bridge had led him to think back to what he had studied about type-advantages and heard about while he, Cheren and Bianca were studying under Professor Juniper. He had learned that in the early days of training, Pokemon type-advantages were much more dangerous, especially for the Pokemon themselves. Reports of battles ending with the death of one of the Pokemon abounded--Ice-types being melted by Fire-types, Bug-types being picked apart and devoured by Flying-types, Rock-types being smashed to pieces by Fighting-types, Dragon-types having their metabolisms shut down completely by Ice-types...the list went on, indeed there was a whole list of reported incidents. This led to modifications made to Pokeballs, modifications that limited the attacks of the Pokemon upon capture to a certain number of hits (or "power points" as they were colloquially called); if they exceeded this number, the attack would be rendered unusable until the next time the Pokemon was healed. This meant that the attack cannot be used at its full power as it would in the wild, allowing for a Pokemon's attack to no longer have fatal results for their opponents. It was fascinating, while also being somewhat frightening.

"Hey look at that sunset!"

Touya was snapped out of his thoughts by Juliet's words, and he looked at what she was looking at. Sure enough, the sun was setting on the horizon, shimmering beautifully in many hues of red and yellow. It also made him realize that they had been traveling on the bridge for quite a while, it would be night soon. It took a longer time to get there when your Pokemon didn't know moves like Fly or Surf.

"It seems to take longer to get across the bridge on foot, doesn't it?" asked Touya, chuckling as they watched the sunset together, him, Juliet and Breezy.

"Yeah," said Juliet, "but I'm too excited to be tired! I hear that Castelia is beautiful!"

"You never been there?"

"Nope! But I've heard of it! I'm glad we'll be getting there at night too! I hear it's beautiful around that time! Have you been there?"

"Once or twice," said Touya, as they continued walking, "to visit a relative who lives there. I never saw the gym."

Suddenly, upon reaching the port, Touya tripped on something.

"Watch where you're going, Touya," said Juliet.

"Thanks," said Touya, in a deadpan voice, "what did I just trip on?"

Juliet got down and picked up the object.

"It looks like a shiny blue rock."

Touya looked at it. His eyes widened.

"Juliet, that's a water stone!"

"You mean one of those stones that helps Pokemon evolve?"

"Yes," said Touya, "and this one should work on Sea Monkey! Panpour apparently evolves to the next stage with a water stone!"

"You wanna try it out?"

"Absolutely," said Touya, letting Sea Monkey out, "hey there Sea Monkey! You want this water stone?"

Sea Monkey looked at the stone and smiled. She seemed to understand what the water stone meant and nodded happily. Touya handed her the stone and sure enough, the radiation from the stone swiftly did its work, just as the moon stone did for REM. Sea Monkey grew until she was a head taller than Juliet and her fur became longer on both her body and her head. She smiled cheerfully, jumping up and down with excitement over her strange new form.

And Touya beamed proudly, now that his Pokemon was at the next stage and he now had a new Pokedex entry.

\----

When they made it the the city, it was already night time and Castelia's tall, beautiful buildings were shining brightly. Juliet was quick to run around excitedly and Touya had to pull her back to keep her from wandering off.

"Remember Juliet," he said, "If I lose you, your dad will kill me."

"Party pooper." grumbled Juliet.

"We'll go sight seeing later," said Touya, chuckling, "it's late anyway."

"Hey, isn't that your friend Cheren?" added Juliet.

Touya looked ahead to see Cheren emerging from a nearby street corner. He noticed Touya immediately and called out "Hey Touya!"

"Hey there, Cheren!" said Touya as he, Juliet and Breezy headed toward him, "You got Burgh's badge yet?"

"Yeah," said Cheren, opening his coat to reveal that he now had three badges gleaming brightly inside, the Trio Badge, the Basic Badge and now a brand new one, shaped like a bright green insect's wing.

"The Insect Badge!" said Touya.

"Cool!" said Juliet.

"Coo." said Breezy, sitting on Touya's head.

"I see you're training up your Flying-type?" asked Cheren.

"Yeah," said Touya, smiling, "I'm hoping he'll evolve before we battle Burgh.

"You may need that," said Cheren as the three of them walked along, "Burgh is a seasoned Gym Leader. He made me work for that Badge! But for me, Bug-type Pokemon aren't much of a challenge."

"Because you chose a Fire-type starter, right?" asked Juliet.

"Yes, but I also have a Flying-type, the Pidove I caught a while back. He evolved recently."

"Congrats!" said Touya, "Hopefully you'll make it that far, Breezy!"

"Coo." said Breezy.

"I'm going to keep winning like this against all of the Unova region's Gym Leaders!" continued Cheren, "Then, I'll head for the Pokemon League and outperform the Champion! If I do that, everyone will admit what a strong Trainer I am...That will make me feel truly alive..."

"You're very dramatic, Cheren." said Touya, smiling.

"Shut up, Touya." said Cheren with a smirk.

"AAAAAH!!!"

"What was that!?" asked Juliet.

"That sounded like Bianca," said Cheren, looking concerned.

"Is she here!?" asked Touya as Breezy fluttered off of his head and started hovering in the air a moment.

"She was, but I had only checked us into the hotel when she said she was going to go get Casteliacones for us!"

To the group's surprise, Burgh showed up out of nowhere, seemingly in something of a hurry.

"Ah hah!" he said looking at Touya, "You're the one who fought Team Plasma in Pinwheel Forest..."

"Yes sir," said Touya, alarmed.

"If I remember, your name is...Touya! Come to challenge the Gym, I suppose?"

"Yes."

"Aww. Sorry, but could you wait a bit? I was informed that Team Plasma has shown up! In fact...come with me! I'm going to the dock at Prime Pier!"

With that, he bolted. Touya, Cheren and Juliet were all very confused, but since Bianca may have been in trouble the three of them all headed off to follow him. Breezy stayed behind for a second before Touya noticed that he wasn't following and returned him to his Pokeball.

\----

They had all arrived at the pier about a minute afterward. Burgh was already there and indeed, so was Bianca, who was crying whilst being comforted by her Dewott and a girl with long, rather messy black hair and dark skin, whom Touya swiftly recognized as one of the two Opelucid City Gym Leaders, Iris. She smiled upon seeing Cheren and Touya and was about to introduce herself only for Cheren, evidently too concerned for Bianca to notice that a Gym Leader is talking to him, pushed her out of the way and grabbed Bianca by the shoulders.

"Bianca!" said Cheren, "Are you okay!? Was it Team Plasma!? Did they hurt you!?"

"Cheren, I-"

"If they hurt you, so help me I'm gonna-"

"Cheren, I'm fine!" said Bianca, "But..."

"But what?" asked Touya, after apologizing profusely to Iris for his friend's rudeness.

"It...it was Team Plasma, and they stole my Munna."

"Those monsters!" shouted Cheren.

"Iris," said Touya, looking to the young Gym Leader, "what exactly happened?"

"Iris?" asked Cheren looking surprised, "Oh my God Iris is here!"

"Yeah, I am, thanks for finally noticing," said Iris smirking, "anyway, I was just on my way to pick up some Casteliacones when I heard this girl screaming! So I came over and I saw those Plasma creeps running away after beating up her Dewott. So I'm all like 'what the heck? Why are you guys such creeps!?' and then I chased them but they ran off before I could catch them."

"You did your best Iris," said Burgh reassuringly, "We're gonna have to look for those Team Plasma Grunts. Now trying to find anything in this city is like trying to find a needle in a haystack, so we may have to split up! Touya, you impressed me a lot back at the Pinwheel Forest, so you join me on Gym Street!"

"Um, yes sir." said Touya.

"I'm going too this time!" said Juliet, "I'm not missing out on kicking these Plasma goons' butts!"

"Are you sure it'll be safe?" asked Touya.

"I came to train with you and I'm gonna train with you!" said Juliet with all the defiance you'd expect from a stubborn child.

"Alright, but stay close and if I say back down, you need to listen."

"Aye-aye!"

"As for you kids," said Burgh, turning to Bianca, Cheren and Iris.

"As long as we're going in groups of three," said Iris, "how about I escort Cheren and Bianca to the next street?"

"Great idea, Iris! You can be their bodyguard!"

"I hope we find Munna soon," said Bianca, sadly, "I don't want those people to hurt her."

"We'll get her back, Bianca!" said Cheren, his glasses gleaming fiercely, "They've made a powerful enemy tonight..."

Iris coughed something that sounded like "drama queen", which prompted a giggle from Bianca, a chuckle from Touya and Burgh and a glare from Cheren.

\----

Touya walked in silence with Burgh and Juliet along Gym Street. Breezy was perched on Touya's shoulder and a Whirlipede was trailing beside Burgh. Touya assumed that this meant it was "Whirlipede Day" for Burgh.

"So..." said Burgh, somewhat awkwardly, presumably due to the whole issue with Z-Stripe's death, "how have you been since...it happened?"

"It happened only yesterday," said Touya, sadly, "so naturally I'm still sad about it. But still, I did manage to come up with a good backup plan to prevent anything like that from happening again. I'm going to compose a team of six to train up with for battling, but everything else I catch will be retired from battle."

"Interesting idea," said Burgh, scratching Breezy's head, "I assume this little Pidove is the opponent I'll be facing?"

"Yeah, but I wanna evolve him first, just in case."

"Smart move!" said Burgh, "Most of the Pokemon I send against new trainers are already at levels 20 or 23. Pidoves tend to evolve at level 21."

"Thanks! I evolved my Panpour too!"

"Really? At what level is it?"

"Um...she's level 12, I think?"

"Oh dear," said Burgh, "Touya, I think you might have evolved your Panpour too early."

"Hm?"

"Pokemon learn moves faster when they level up without evolving. Sure your new Simipour has better stats, but the moves she learns might not be as strong as they could have been. Not counting HMs or TMs of course."

"Oh," said Touya, feeling slightly worried now; had he caused some sort of problem for his Water-type? Would she be okay?

"I wouldn't worry about it too much though," said Burgh, "if you're a good trainer you can find a way to help her through and make her a competent battler!"

"I'll try." said Touya.

"Hey guys," said Juliet, "I think Burgh's gross bug found something."

"Whirlipede's not gross, Juliet," said Burgh, "And what did she find?"

Juliet pointed to a door in a building right across from the Gym.

"Odd," said Burgh, "why would they choose such an obvious hiding spot? I mean, in front of the Gym of all places!"

"Should we check?" asked Touya.

There was a loud clanging from a trash can and a hushed shout of "Petr you idiot!"

"Something tells me we don't need to," said Burgh. 

The group headed over to the alley next to the building where they heard the commotion. Sure enough, the Team Plasma grunts from before were there, bickering among themselves. Touya felt something inside him boil when he saw them.

"Hey you!" he called out angrily.

The two grunts looked at him, Burgh and Juliet and immediately looked panicked.

"IT'S THAT KID WHOSE POKEMON HANOVER KILLED!" cried out Petr.

"AND THE CASTELIA GYM LEADER!" shrieked Mara.

"AND...SOME KID!" shouted Petr.

With that, the two ran back into the building.

"Well that didn't work." said Juliet.

"Follow them!" said Burgh, "Don't let them get away!"

\----

They entered the building to find the grunts standing in front of three older looking men. Touya recognized one of them as Ghetsis, but the other two were unknown to him. One of them was dressed in brown robes and had a white beard, the other was dressed in yellow and had a grey mustache. Whirlipede and Breezy swiftly went into the frontlines while Juliet let out her Petilil, which bounced into view, poised for attack.

"My word," sneered Ghetsis, "if it isn't the Gym Leader, Burgh."

"Give us back Bianca's Pokemon!" said Touya.

"That's the kid, your sageliness!" said Mara, panicking and hiding behind Ghetsis next to Petr, "Please, do as he says or he'll try to hurt us!"

"Mara please, calm yourself," said the bearded man in a calm, grandfatherly voice.

"I thought it would be humorous to prepare a hideout right in front of a Pokemon Gym," said the man with the mustache in an annoyed voice, "but we were detected more quickly than I imagined."

"Dang lady," said Juliet, looking at Ghetsis and remembering what Touya had told her about Mara, "this king of yours really doesn't seem worth obsessing over!"

Mara looked extremely offended and promptly said something that surprised Touya.

"Ghetsis is NOT our king!"

"He's not?" asked Touya, alarmed.

"Of course not, I'd never be attracted to this old ba..." she swiftly realized that Ghetsis was glaring at her and went on to say, "I mean this incredibly wise and _forgiving_ sage of mine!"

"I am Rood," said the bearded man in a cordial manner before gesturing toward the man with the mustache, "and this is my colleague Bronius. I see you are already acquainted with Ghetsis."

"We are senior members of Team Plasma known as its Seven Sages," continued the man named Bronius, "we are powerful in the organization and oversee everything that Team Plasma does, but in the end we are subservient to the king."

"So there are more of you!" said Burgh.

"Indeed there are," said Ghetsis with a sneer.

"Well you are not welcome here!" Burgh bellowed in a dramatic but genuinely commanding manner, "Leave my town tonight or I will be forced to take ACTION!"

He promptly returned Whirlipede and replaced her with a truly massive Scolipede.

"OH SWEET ARCEUS!" shrieked Juliet, clinging to Touya's waist in horror. Even Touya had to admit that the sight of such a huge millipede was disturbing. Ghetsis, meanwhile, simply chuckled and spoke in a calm voice.

"Indeed... No matter," he said, "We already have an exceptional base of operations. Is everyone familiar with the legend of the founding of the Unova region?"

"I am!" said a voice. They all turned to see Iris, Bianca and Cheren standing there in the doorway.

"I know all about Unova's dragon myths! This is the one about the black dragon named Zekrom, right?"

"Indeed it is," said Ghetsis and he went on, "The truth is this... The black dragon appeared before a hero who sought the ideal way to knit together a world full of warring people. This black Dragon-type Pokemon shared its knowledge--and bared its fangs at those who stood against it. Together, the power of this Pokemon and the hero brought unity to the hearts of everyone in the land, and that is how Unova was created."

"But no one is sure if that story is even true," said Cheren, incredulously, "no one even knows if that dragon even existed!"

"Oh we can assure you, young man," said Rood, "it certainly does exist."

"And we shall bring back the hero and that Pokémon to Unova once again!" said Ghetsis, triumphantly, "If we can win people's hearts and minds, we can easily create the world that I--I mean, Team Plasma--desires!"

Touya glared at him. He really didn't like Ghetsis at this point. He didn't seem to be a man who truly cared about Pokemon. He had a feeling that this whole "liberation" business was just a big scheme, especially with that little Freudian slip of his. The two other old men didn't seem much more trustworthy either.

"Munna..."

Everyone looked at Bianca, who stepped in and said, "Look, your minions stole my Pokemon! I want you to give her back to me!"

"And we shall," smirked Ghetsis, "we normally wouldn't, but I'm feeling generous today--mostly due to seeing how...perceptive your friend here is."

Ghetsis' eyes had roamed to Touya when he said this, and Touya couldn't help but feel a cold chill run down his spine when he noticed.

"Mara, Petr, return the girl's Pokemon."

"Y-Yes Lord Ghetsis!" said the two grunts in unison as they handed Bianca a Pokeball.

"We'll be taking our leave now," said Ghetsis, "but mark my words...we will meet again."

With that they left.

\----

"Are we just gonna let them get away!?" asked Cheren.

"Yes." said Bianca, hugging her Munna tightly, "What matters now is that my Munna is safe."

"I agree," said Touya, "and it looks like she's not hurt."

"Muun."

"Coo."

"You guys were great for helping me and Burgh, though," said Iris, smiling, "so here's a reward! Yache berries for all four of you!"

Sure enough, Iris handed out little cold blue berries to Touya, Bianca, Cheren and Juliet.

"These berries weaken Ice-type moves, helpful for a Dragon-type trainer like myself!" 

Burgh arrived on the back of his Scolipede like a horse, which shocked everyone.

"Excellent work to all of you! Touya, Bianca, I can't wait for you two to challenge my Gym!"

"And mine!" said Iris, "But I think I'll act as Bianca's bodyguard for a little while longer!"

"Wait, what?" asked Bianca.

"Touya," said Burgh, "you still want your Pidove to evolve before coming to my Gym?"

"Yes sir," said Touya, holding out his hand for Breezy to perch on.

"Well then I'd suggest you go up to Route 4 and train there for a little before coming here. A good place for a Flying-type too, as it's full of Ground-types!"

"I'll do that, thank you sir." said Touya.

"Excellent, now it's quite late and you four should go to your hotel and rest up! And Touya?"

"Yes?"

"You don't have to keep calling me sir."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, there's supposed to be a battle but I neglected to record it when writing down my playing notes and thus I didn't know which Pokemon the grunts used. That and I didn't feel like writing in a battle in this one.


	13. The Insect Badge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey guys, here's an update for ya! Enjoy :3

Touya grumbled irritably as he wandered along Route 4, with Juliet, Sir Hiss (who had gotten fussy and jumped out of his Pokeball to join in) and Breezy by his side. Burgh had neglected to inform them that Route 4 wasn't just a desert, but a desert wherein a constant sandstorm and construction work were going on.

"This sucks." said Juliet, gripping her hat to keep all the sand out of her eyes.

"Coo." said Breezy, gripping tightly onto Touya's hat.

"It'll be worth it as long as Breezy can level up," said Touya, keeping the sand out of his eyes with his own hat, "along the way, I hope to catch some new Pokemon for Pokedex data. That's why I'm glad I got those Quick Balls."

Quick Balls were a different type of Pokeball, one that has a better chance of catching a Pokemon if they were thrown at the beginning of an encounter. And sure enough, as the group was walking, a Sandile suddenly burst out of the sand. Sir Hiss was ready to jump down from Touya's shoulder and fight but Touya blocked him.

"No, Sir Hiss. Breezy's the one leveling up today."

Breezy fluttered up from the top of Touya's head. Hovering over the little crocodilian, Breezy let out a squawk as Touya called out "Breezy, use Air Cutter!"

Breezy hit the Sandile with a gust of sharp wind, cutting into the Sandile's rough skin. The Sandile growled and dug into the ground. Upon bursting out to attack Breezy, however, it missed. Touya smirked. Flying-types were immune to Ground-type moves, like Dig. With a swift Air Slash, Breezy managed to weaken the Sandile enough that Touya could now throw a Pokeball and capture it.

_"Sandile was caught!"_ said the Pokedex, _Sandile's data will now be added to the Pokedex!"_

"Hey Touya," said Juliet, "are you sure about this?"

"Sure about what?"

"Keeping a Sandile. After all, one of them killed Z-Stripe..."

Touya smiled and said "I'm not going to judge a whole species of Pokemon based on the actions of one with a bad trainer. I think I'll call this one 'Irwin'."

After registering the nickname, he smiled as the Pokeball vanished, transferring to Fennel's PC system.

"Good job, Breezy!" said Touya, as he pulled some berries from his pocket and gave them to Breezy. Sir Hiss nuzzled Touya jealously and Touya chuckled before handing some berries to him too.

"So how much longer are you gonna level up Breezy?" asked Juliet.

"Until he evolves, at level 21."

"And what level is he at now?" 

"14."

"WHAT!? We're gonna have to walk through this stinkin' desert until he levels up seven times!?"

"Unfortunately yes. Maybe longer, since one of Burgh's Pokemon is higher than that."

"UGH! Okay fine. If it's important to you I'll stick around. Plus, I wanna see your Gym battle!"

"That's the spirit! Now let's keep going."

_Sandile_  
_Irwin_  
_Bold nature_  
_Route 4_  
_Met at Level 18_  
_Capable of taking hits_

\----

As he was leveling Breezy up, Touya had managed to capture a Scraggy and a Darumaka as well, the little Dark/Fighting lizard and Fire ape both being transferred to Fennel's lab shortly after. Juliet and Sir Hiss both trailed beside him, Sir Hiss attacking and going up in level on the side himself.

A little bit later, Juliet had run off and Touya went looking for her. When he found her, she was running up to him excitedly.

"Touya! Look what I caught!"

"Juliet, please don't run off like that!" said Touya, exasperated, "Your dad would kill me if anything happened to you!"

"I'm sorry, Touya," said Juliet, "but look! Come on out, Maractus!"

A Maractus burst out of Juliet's Pokeball. The large, ambulant plant jumped around excitedly.

"Wow," said Touya, "I don't think I've ever seen a live Maractus before. Good job Juliet!"

"Thanks! And I got a great idea! Why don't you battle with me to help Breezy level up? It might make things easier!"

"I suppose I could. I'd be willing to try anything at this rate! I have some revives, so you can wake them up if they faint."

The two of them started to battle.

"Maractus, use Pin Missile!"

"Breezy, use Air Cutter!"

The Maractus fired a storm of needles from her skin, puncturing Breezy's body. Breezy flapped his wings, taking to the sky. He then swooped down and sent a sharp wind down upon Maractus. Maractus dropped to the ground, and Juliet returned her. She proceeded to send out her Cottonee.

"Stun Spore him, Cottonee!"

"Dodge it Breezy!"

\----

The battles with Juliet certainly paid off, as Breezy was soon ready to evolve. When it was time, Breezy gave a sudden twitch and puffed up his feathers, much to Touya and Juliet's delighted surprise.

He puffed.

And puffed.

And puffed.

And puffed until he was little more than a grey ball of feathers...and then...

POP!

Breezy's feathers formed a large pile in the middle of the sand. Touya's jaw dropped and Juliet just stared.

"Touya," said Juliet, "I think your bird exploded."

"Breezy!?" asked Touya, panicked.

The feathers blew away in the sandstorm and Touya heaved a relieved sigh upon seeing that Breezy was not only alright, but had transformed into a handsome Tranquill.

At this stage, he was taller (his head now up to Touya's waist) and his wings were much longer. He was also sleeker and more streamlined, which led Touya to believe that he'd be a better flyer at this stage. Above each of his eyes were a pink patch of skin, the precursors to wattles that would be present on his adult stage.

"Alright, Breezy!" said Touya, "Let's go back to Castelia and squash Burgh's bugs, alright?"

"Coo."

"Seems some things never change, eh Touya?" asked Juliet.

Touya chuckled as the two headed back to Castelia. Touya decided to celebrate by buying some Casteliacones for himself, Juliet and their Pokemon before heading to the Gym.

\----

Burgh's Gym was extremely strange. His paintings being on the walls was expected, but the fact that the walls and passageways through the hallway were covered in honey was not. They had to squeeze through these walls, which annoyed both of them to no end.

"Eeeew..." said Juliet.

"This is never gonna get out of my clothes..." said Touya, irritably.

"Hey there, Touya!"

The two of them looked up to see Burgh, walking up to them and swinging his red scarf over his shoulder dramatically.

"Yeah, these honey walls probably weren't my best idea," he said, "this is like, the third time today I had to change. But I still like it, since it gives trainers a bit of a challenge before we battle. Speaking of which, you wanna battle now?"

"Yes," said Touya, letting Breezy out, "I leveled Breezy up to 23!"

"Good idea," said Burgh, smiling, "but I'm not gonna hold back either way! Go, Whirlipede!"

A millipede, curled up in a ball burst out of the Pokeball and rolled toward Breezy.

"Breezy, use Air Cutter!"

Breezy flapped his wings hard and sent a piercing gust of wind at Whirlipede. Whirlipede was hit point blank, but his armor managed to keep him relatively unharmed. He looked up at Breezy defiantly.

"Whirlipede, use Poison Tail!"

Whirlipede wheeled up to Breezy and leaped at him. The pointed antennae on his back poked into Breezy, poisoning him. Breezy puffed up his feathers and shook from the poison, losing some HP in the process.

"Breezy, use Roost!"

Breezy nestled himself onto the ground and puffed up his feathers again. His HP was swiftly restored, but he was still poisoned.

"Whirlipede, use Screech!"

A loud scream emerged from Whirlipede and Breezy shivered.

"Don't be discouraged Breezy! Use Air Slash!"

A swift Air Slash managed to knock his opponent out. Burgh grinned and returned Whirlipede.

"Great job, but we're into the next round! Go Dwebble!"

A tiny hermit crab with a rocky shell burst out next.

_"Dang, a Rock-type..."_

"Breezy, try Air Cutter again!"

The Dwebble swiftly retracted into his shell. Breezy's Air Cutter failed and the poison was still doing its work.

"Breezy, here!"

Touya handed Breezy a Casteliacone. He was told that they heal all status effects from a Pokemon. Unfortunately, the cone fell to the ground as Breezy wasn't paying attention.

"Dwebble, use Smack Down!"

Breezy was swiftly knocked from the sky, but fortunately, had not been knocked unconscious.

And he saw the Casteliacone.

"Dwebble use Sand Attack!"

Breezy walked curiously over to the Casteliacone and pecked at bits of it, smiling as his poisoning was cured afterward. A bit of sand hit him, but it missed his face, meaning that his accuracy wasn't affected.

"Breezy, use another Air Cutter!"

Breezy snapped back to attention and did as he was commanded. Dwebble let out a squeak as it was sent flying and Burgh returned it before pulling out his last Pokeball.

"Come on out, Leavanny!"

The familiar stick bug burst out of the ball standing tall and confident like his master. 

"Leavanny, use String Shot!"

Leavanny sent a stream of sticky webbing at Breezy, sticking to him like glue.

"Now use Razor Leaf!"

The Leavanny swiped both of his claw-like arms, sending a wind of sharp leaves flying at Breezy. Breezy managed to break free of the webbing and dodged the attack, flying upward and hovering overhead.

"Great job, Breezy! Now hit him with an Air Cutter!"

Breezy flapped his wings and Leavanny was hit by the sharp winds.

"Now use Quick Attack!"

"Leavanny, use Struggle Bug!"

Breezy swiftly swooped down, ready to hit Leavanny hard, but to Touya's surprise, Leavanny was able to resist the attack and started biting and scratching at Breezy as he came down upon him. Breezy pushed his opponent forward and Leavanny pushed back. Both of them kept struggling against each other until...

They both collapsed.

Touya, Burgh and Juliet all stood there until finally Juliet just said "What?"

"Does this mean I win?" asked Touya, more confused and concerned than enthusiastic.

"Well, you technically defeated my Leavanny so yes it does." said Burgh, "Nice work! Here's the Insect Badge!"

He handed him the badge with a smile. Touya, still confused, returned Breezy and said "Thank you, sir--I mean, Burgh."

"You're welcome! I trust you'll be headed to Nimbasa City to battle Elesa next?"

"Yeah."

"In that case, you'll want to head up to Route 4 again!"

"CRAAAAAAAP!" groaned Juliet.

"We'll head that way in the morning," said Touya, smiling, "in the meantime, I ought to get Breezy healed up."

"See ya later, Feraligatr!" said Burgh as Touya and Juliet left the Gym.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Okay, so my ACTUAL fight with Burgh didn't quite go like this, but I decided I didn't want to bore you guys by writing two or three Bug battles, plus I figured Touya deserved a one try fight...especially with the Electric nightmare that will await him in Nimbasa. The effect of both Breezy and Leavanny passing out was inspired by how Struggle Bug is stated to work.
> 
> EDIT 3/9/17: Minor change--decided to actually SHOW Breezy's evolution because I finally figured out an entertaining method of depicting it.


	14. Relic Castle and the Plume Fossil

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone, there's something very important I'd like to bring up...
> 
> I've been thinking about it a lot, and I've realized that most of the previous chapters of this story don't give as much character development to the Pokemon as I wanted them to. I mean, the games are called "Pokemon" right? I can't just leave their characters out of the whole thing!
> 
> So I made the decision: I'm going back and editing the previous chapters. Nothing SUPER big changing, just some added scenes to give the Pokemon more depth (and, in one case, expand on how the PC system works), as well as showing a record of the Pokemon Touya catches (which you'll get your first look at here). So if things look different upon rereading (provided you WANT to reread, of course, then don't panic, you're not going crazy--those are just edits I've made, and I'll mention the edits in the notes.
> 
> In other news, as of this chapter my Pokemon Black team is officially complete! This is the team I most consistently had, consisting of my starter, my first two wild catches, my elemental monkey, my flyer and a Pokemon obtained through unique means (fossil revival in this case)!
> 
> Enjoy this one!

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado!"

"Tranquill, use Air Cutter!"

Touya and Cheren were in the Desert Resort, working together to fight a Dwebble. Juliet sat on a nearby rock and watched with her Pokemon, hoping to learn something from this.

The Dwebble was a Bug and a Rock-type, so Touya and Cheren had decided to use separate type advantaged Pokemon in order to fight it. Sir Hiss was strong agains Rock but weak against Bug, while Tranquill was strong against Bug but weak against Rock, so having both of them fight the little creature was a good way to train them both and get their levels up. The fight was made even more challenging from the enormous sandstorm that had kicked up, which buffeted the Pokemon every now and then. 

Dwebble had managed to drop Tranquill using Smack Down, though she hadn't knocked it out, and Sir Hiss hit it with Leaf Tornado again. Eventually, they had weakened the little crustacean enough that one of them could catch it.

"You go ahead, Touya," said Cheren, smiling, "I already got one."

Touya nodded and tossed a Pokeball at the Dwebble, capturing it and sending it to the PC shortly after.

_Dwebble_   
_Herma_   
_Quirky nature_   
_Desert Resort_   
_Met at Level 22_   
_Likes to relax_

"That was super awesome," said Juliet cheerfully, "I think I learned some things from that...now can we get out of this stinkin' desert already?"

"We need to keep going north in order to reach the next town," said Cheren calmly as he returned his Tranquill to its Pokeball while Touya did the same with Sir Hiss, "But it is a good idea to find shelter somewhere. The Relic Castle might be a good place to hide while we wait for the sandstorm to let up."

Touya nodded in agreement and Juliet asked "What's the Relic Castle?"

Touya pulled out his town map and held it up to Juliet.

"The Relic Castle is part of the ruins of an ancient city, over 2500 years old."

"So we're gonna stay in a dusty old castle for the rest of the day?"

"It's a popular tourist's attraction," said Cheren, "there will almost certainly be people there. They also say that a Volcarona lives there, just like the one Champion Alder has!"

"C'mon, Cheren," said Touya, amused, "everyone knows Volcarona is extinct in the wild."

"Volcarona? The giant fire bug? But how can it be extinct if the Champion has one?"

"It's extinct _in the wild_ , Juliet," explained Touya, "this means that it still exists in captivity, but not in the wild. As a result, catching a hypothetical wild specimen is typically restricted to people who have special permits and the intention of breeding the Pokemon. Ironically, Cheren and I do have such permits. Which we would put to good use if this wild Volcarona existed." 

Cheren glared at Touya, who grinned smugly before the three of them headed for the Relic Castle.

\----

Cheren had led them to the Relic Castle using his town map and the three entered, keeping themselves safe from the storm outside as they waited for it to subside. Inside, they saw that there were indeed many people, mainly scientists and backpackers, people who were fascinated by the ancient culture and things one would find in a desert. Naturally there were trainers as well, searching for Pokemon to catch. Of course there was no shortage of those here; with fewer places to hide in the somewhat confined space of the castle's main entrance, they could see Pokemon in various places. A few Dwebbles crawled up the walls and into holes, the unmistakable eyes of Sandiles peeked up from under the sand, Darumakas bounced around...Touya even caught a glimpse of some Yamasks, a shy Ghost-type that always carried around a mask--a mask that, according to local legend, resembled its true face from when it was supposedly a living human.

"This place is neat!" said Juliet, looking at the pictographs on the wall, "And there are so many cool Pokemon!"

"Eh, I already have tons of these guys!" scoffed Cheren.

"Hey, I don't have a Yamask yet," said Touya, excitedly, "I kinda want one!"

"I hear there might be fossils around here too," said Cheren, smiling, "we could find a fossil Pokemon to revive at the Nacrene City Museum!"

"Really?" said Touya, getting more excited; he had always seen pictures of prehistoric Pokemon in his textbooks, and the idea of seeing them in person, let alone training one thrilled him. He knew from Professor Juniper's classes that the prehistoric Pokemon native to Unova were the Water-type Carracosta (a huge sea turtle) and the Flying-type Archeops (a theropod dinosaur, possibly a bird though there was some debate about that). They both seemed interesting and great for battles, but if he wanted to have one join the team, he'd have to retire one of the ones currently in his party.

The three opted to explore the castle a bit. Cheren advised them to stay away from the sinkholes, as they'll suck them in and spit them out in a lower level if they're not careful. He started chatting with a scientist while Touya and Juliet walked around, examining the pictographs on the walls.

"Any idea what they mean, Touya?" asked Juliet.

"Not a clue," said Touya.

"They're talking about the fate that befalls graverobbers."

Touya and Juliet turned to see a young backpacker smiling at them.

"It says that should anyone steal from the resting place of those who once lived here, their spirits will devour them alive!"

"Yikes..." said Touya.

"Cool!" said Juliet.

"But that can't be true...can it?" asked Touya.

"Well, Cofagrigus is said to be the spirits of the dead souls who lived here, and it sure does seem to find humans tasty!"

Cofagrigus...the adult stage of Yamask, a terrifying Ghost-type that lurks inside the tombs of the deceased, acting as a trap for anyone unfortunate enough to stumble upon it. Touya had heard of Cofagrigus, and indeed after one of the Professor's lectures about it and its horrifying Mummy ability (an ability that infects the opponent if it makes physical contact), he suffered horrible nightmares for weeks, with visions of the horrific creature dragging him into its sarcophagus and swallowing him up. Shivering at the thought, Touya decided that he really didn't want to see any of the Cofagrigus here...

"Oh, I forgot my manners!" said the backpacker, chuckling as she held out a hand, "My name is Lucille! Nice to meet you!"

"My name's Touya," said Touya, shaking her hand, "this is my friend Juliet and over there is my friend Cheren."

"Nice to meet you! I'm here researching the castle. The ancient cultures of Unova sure are cool! I even found a couple fossils!"

"Really?" asked Touya excitedly, "Can...can I see them?"

"Sure!" said Lucille as she walked along, "Let's see, I put them in my bag somewhere..."

"Watch your step, Lucille!" said Juliet.

"Huh?" asked Lucille, but before she could say anything else she stepped into a sinkhole and started sinking into the floor.

"AAAAAH!!!" she shrieked loudly, "Help me!"

"Sir Hiss, get out here!"

Sir Hiss burst out of his Pokeball, hissing.

"Use Vine Whip, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss shot a pair of vines at Lucille and wrapped them around her waist, pulling as hard as he could to help her get out.

"What's happening?" asked Cheren, running in and looking concerned.

"This woman is sinking!" said Touya, "We need to help her!"

"I'm on it!" said Cheren, "Pansage, let's go!"

Pansage leaped out of his Pokeball and jumped up and down excitedly.

"Pansage, do what Sir Hiss is doing!"

Pansage stretched out his tail and wrapped it around Lucille's waist as well, and the two Grass-types hoisted her out of the sinkhole.

"Phew! Thanks guys!" said Lucille once she was safely out of the sinkhole, "I almost thought I was a goner!"

"Well, it wouldn't have killed you..." said Cheren.

"Regardless, I want to reward you guys!" said Lucille, "I'll give you one of the fossils I obtained!"

"Woah really?" asked Touya, who was starry eyed with enthusiasm, "Thanks!"

"Okay, I have two here, which one do you guys want?"

Touya looked at the two fossils--one looked like a rounded shell, the other looked like an angular feather. After some thought, he picked the feather, assuming it would yield the Flying-type. Cheren grinned and picked up the shell.

"Ah, the Plume Fossil for Touya and the Cover Fossil for Cheren," said Lucille, smiling, "excellent choices!"

"Hey guys!" said Juliet, "The storm's letting up! Let's go!"

"Coming, Juliet!" said Touya, putting his fossil away, "Thanks for the fossils Lucille!"

"No thank you guys for saving me!" said Lucille, "Take good care of those Pokemon when you revive them!"

\----

When Touya and Cheren exited the castle, they were greeted by Professor Juniper, oddly enough.

"Hey there, Cheren, Touya!" she said, "How've you been?"

"We're fine, Professor," said Touya, "but what are you doing here?"

"Oh!" said Cheren, "I forgot to mention, she called me while we were in the castle. I told her to meet us out here."

"That's right!" said Juniper, "Elesa called and was asking me all about Electric-type Pokemon, and I thought about you guys. That's why I wanted to see you. Ta-da! Freebies for you! Here, Cheren! You, too, Touya. I already gave some to Bianca."

She handed them bags with some Pokeballs, only these Pokeballs were black with yellow markings, instead of red.

"Ultra Balls?" asked Touya.

"Correctamundo! These have among the highest catch rates of any Pokeball! You'll be able to catch all sorts of Pokemon with these!"

"Thanks, Professor." said Touya, smiling.

"You're welcome!" said Juniper, "If you see a Pokemon that you want to have join you, be sure to use a good type of Pokeball. Because this could be the first and last time you see that Pokemon! I know it might seem strange for me to say this, since I'm the one who asked you to complete the Pokedex, but please, remember to enjoy your journey! Of course, I'm not saying you can just neglect the Pokedex. But you know that! Now, if you'll please excuse me, I have to go meet Bianca."

"Tell her I said hi!" said Cheren hastily as the Professor left, prompting a knowing grin from Touya and a giggle from Juliet.

"It seems the Professor gave us the Pokedex as a reason to send us on a journey," said Cheren, "at least, that's what my mom told me. They wanted us to go out and see the world, so my mom, Bianca's mom, and your mom made a request to Professor Juniper."

"Never thought of it that way," said Touya, looking down at the Plume Fossil.

"Touya, what should we do now?" asked Cheren, "I think I'd like to show the Professor my thanks by going back into Route 4 and catching some Pokemon I haven't caught."

"Hmm..." said Touya, "I'll show my gratitude by reviving this fossil!"

"That's an excellent idea!" said Cheren, "I'll see you later Touya!"

"See ya, Cheren! Come on Juliet, we're going back to Nacrene City!"

"Oh joy," said Juliet irritably.

\----

At Nacrene City, Touya entered the Museum and asked Lenora where the fossils could be revived. She directed him to one of the clerks, who informed him that she was a researcher there.

"I would be happy to revive this Plume Fossil for you!" she said, "But...there is a problem."

"What?" asked Touya, "Oh, right! I already have six Pokemon on hand! Huh, which one should I retire?"

"Does the retirement have to be permanent, Touya?" asked Juliet, quizzically.

"Not necessarily, but the problem is I don't know which one I should drop off."

He thought about it and then suddenly remembered...Fennel was doing research on dreams and loved working with Munnas and Musharnas...REM...

Touya had to make a call.

\----

"RING RING RING! RING RING RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL! RING RING RING! RING RING RING! PHONE CALL! PHONE CALL!"

"Ugh," said Fennel, walking up to her phone, "if I ever meet the bonehead who made up this ringtone, I'll strangle 'em. Hello?"

"Hey Fennel, It's me Touya!"

Touya's image appeared on her screen and she lit up.

"OH! Touya, hello! Are you checking up on the Pokemon you sent to the PC? Hey guys! Your trainer's calling!"

Indeed, Irwin, Herma, Kenny (a Scraggy) and Mrs. Whatsit (a Darumaka) all jumped up to the screen to look at him.

"Hey there you guys!" said Touya, waving, "They all seem happy."

"Yeah, I've been taking good care of them!" said Fennel, smiling.

"Oh, but this isn't the reason I called! I wanted to ask you to take care of my Musharna for a little bit."

"Hmm? Why?"

"Well, I'm reviving a fossil..."

"Ah, say no more--you already have six on your team and you need to send me one in order to legally obtain it, right?"

"Yeah, I take it this has happened before?"

"Yep! A lot of folks have the same problem you have! I'll be happy to take REM off your hands for you!"

"Thank you, Professor," said Touya as he pulled out REM's Pokeball, "please take good care of him."

Touya let REM out and looked at him as he floated in front of him.

"Hey REM, remember Professor Fennel?"

REM nodded.

"Well...I'm gonna be sending you to live with her for a little while."

REM looked at him somewhat sadly.

"I'm sorry, but I want a new member to join our team and I can't do that when I already have six Pokemon on hand. But don't worry, REM, I'll visit you. And who knows? Maybe I'll bring you back for battles sometime. But for now, you're officially retired, okay?

REM looked at him, but then smiled and nodded. Touya hugged REM and then returned him to his Pokeball before sending him to Fennel.

"I promise to take good care of him Touya," said Fennel smiling, "see ya later!"

"See you later," said Touya as he hung up. He then turned to the clerk and handed her the Plume Fossil.

"Follow me, please, sir!"

\----

"Muun..."

Fennel looked at REM after letting him out of his Pokeball.

"Awww, you miss your trainer already, don't you REM?" she asked, sympathetically. He nodded and Fennel smiled, "Well I know just the way to cheer you up! Wait right here!"

REM looked at her as she headed for a closet and returned with a gas mask that alarmed him somewhat.

"Sorry about the mask," said Fennel, "there's a LOT of dream mist where we're going and prolonged exposure to the stuff makes me dizzy! Follow me!"

REM floated after Fennel as she walked over to a room with a picture of a pink flower on it. When she opened the door, there was a flurry of dream mist that burst out and REM looked inside to see both Munnas and Musharnas floating about the room. He was quite astonished--it was an outdoor room, with screen windows and doors, though even with these screens the room was saturated with dream mist. The Munnas giggled and hovered under the watchfull eyes of their adult counterparts. REM could recognize many of them, some were his family members and others were old friends.

"I get a lot of Munnas and Musharnas, mostly by my own request, so I decided to dedicate an entire room for them! This can be your new home, if you like!"

REM smiled and floated into the room. He floated near one Musharna in particular...his mother. She was exactly how he remembered her. She turned to look at him and smiled proudly.

Her son was all grown up.

"I knew you'd love it!" said Fennel as she watched the two Musharnas nuzzle.

\----

Touya stood in a laboratory with Juliet and the clerk. The clerk had placed the Plume Fossil into a machine and started to press a complex sequence of buttons. With a flash of light, process was completed relatively swiftly. The clerk smiled and said "Congratulations! Your Plume Fossil has been revived! It has become a Pokemon known as Archen!"

She opened the door of the machine...and suddenly, a streak of yellow and blue burst out of it and slammed into the wall. Touya and Juliet both turned to whatever the creature that emerged looked like. A small Pokemon was now sitting on a nearby bookshelf, looking extremely on edge. It was a strange creature, looking like a bird, but not so much like a bird as like a reptile, with a long scaly tail tipped with blue feathers, clawed hands on its wings and a scaly head with toothy jaws in place of a beak. It had feet tipped with three clawed toes, but on each foot, one of the toes was raised and had a larger, more hooked claw.

"It's believed to be the ancestor of all bird Pokemon!" said the clerk.

"It looks like a cross between a lizard and a feather duster." said Juliet.

"Hey there..." said Touya, cautiously.

The Pokemon let out a loud, panicked screech as it looked at the human approaching it.

"Don't be scared," said Touya, holding out a hand hoping that it would perch on it, "I'm your new trainer!"

The Archen looked at him.

"Arck?" it said, cautiously. Touya smiled and the little avian creature inched onto his hand, before looking up at him and then smiling back.

"Yeah! That's it!"

"AAAARCK!" squawked the Archen loudly, prompting Juliet and the clerk to cover their ears.

"Welp," said Touya, "I know what I'm calling you."

_Archen_   
_Screech_   
_Brave nature_   
_Nacrene City_   
_Met at Level 25_   
_Sturdy body_

\----

"Rock/Flying-type, huh Screech?" asked Touya, looking at Archen's Pokedex entry, "Man where were you when I was facing Burgh?"

They were travelling through Route 4 again. Touya decided to keep Screech out of his Pokeball for now, just to help him get used to his new surroundings. He seemed to prefer sitting on Touya's shoulder or walking over flying though.

"He's certainly cute when you get used to him," said Juliet, "what moves does he know?"

"According to his entry in the Pokedex," said Touya, "Screech currently knows Ancient Power, Pluck, Agility and Rock Smash. Rock-type moves should be helpful along the way so I'm glad we got him!"

Before Juliet could answer back, Screech let out a squawk and fluttered down to the ground, growling. A Darumaka had emerged out of the ground and looked at them mischievously.

"Alright! Time to test your skills, Screech!" said Touya, "Use Ancient Power!"

Screech let out a loud scream and spread out his wings. From out of the ground, several large rocks immediately started floating and Screech sent the rocks flying at the Darumaka. The Darumaka was hit point blank and it let out a terrified, pained squeak as the rocks knocked it out cold. Touya stared in shock at what his new Pokemon managed to do.

"Wow...this little guy is really strong..."

"He's a keeper!" smirked Juliet.

To be continued...


	15. Nimbasa City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! So this one's mostly filler, but hopefully it's not BAD filler ^_^
> 
> Touya and Juliet have finally made it to Nimbasa, and what awaits them includes musical theater, Bianca's family drama and a certain sadistic Gym Leader with two evil little flying rodents as henchmen!
> 
> Enjoy!

Touya, Juliet and Screech arrived in Nimbasa City and looked around at how vibrant, colorful and bright the whole place was. There were huge buildings, including two sports stadiums and a big vibrant theater. To the east there was a large amusement park and a massive ferris wheel was visibly looming over the town. Touya looked at it and noticed something...someone in the Ferris wheel...a speck of green was visible on him...

"AAAHHH! HELP ME!"

Touya was snapped out of his thoughts by the shout and he, Juliet and Screech looked ahead to see Petr and a Plasma grunt he didn't recognize holding an old man by the collar. Touya recognized the old man as the husband of the Day Care owner--as if Team Plasma couldn't have sunk any lower.

"HEY!" shouted Touya, angrily, "What do you jerks think you're doing!?"

The two grunts turned to look at him in alarm.

"Petr, who's this?" asked the female grunt.

"He's the brat who who keeps messing with Plasma's plans!"

"Oh," said the woman, "you mean the one the king is interested in?"

This statement surprised Touya. The "king" of Team Plasma has an interest in him?

He disregarded that for the moment...

"Let go of that man!" shouted Touya grabbing Sir Hiss' Pokeball as Screech jumped down from his shoulder.

"Or else!" said Juliet, pulling out a Pokeball of her own.

"Ugh, this again," said the woman, pulling out a Pokeball, "looks like I have no choice this time. Time for a battle."

"Excellent, Regina!" said Petr, "Patrat, go!"

"Patrat, go." said the woman named Regina, sounding very unenthusiastic.

"Sir Hiss, Screech, go!"

"Let's get out there Petilil!"

Sir Hiss burst out of his Pokeball and stood next to Screech, with Petlil on the other side. Opposing them were two Patrats. One, Petr's, had the normal coloration of light brown fur and red and yellow markings around the eyes. But Regina's had darker fur that shimmered somewhat in the light and blue and yellow markings around the eyes...

"YOU HAVE A _SHINY!?_ " shouted Touya in shock.

"Yes." said Regina bluntly.

"Ugh, why do the good things always happen to bad people?"

"Petilil, Mega Drain!" shouted Juliet.

Petilil started absorbing the energy from Regina's Patrat, who growled and swiped at Petilil with her claws.

"Screech, use Ancient Power!" called out Touya, "Sir Hiss, use Vine Whip!"

Screech sent a shower of heavy stones flying at Petr's Patrat, hitting him hard and knocking him out. Sir Hiss coiled his vines around Regina's Patrat, lifted her up and slammed her to the ground.

"Patrat NO!" shouted Petr.

"What a pity," said Regina, returning her Pokemon, "looks like you've beaten us. Let's go Petr. Let's find the king and ask him to reassign us."

"But what about our Patrats?"

"What about them?"

"Can we at least heal them first?"

Regina sighed irritably, "Fine, I guess." she said, throwing him a Revive, "I don't see why it matters though."

"You haven't seen the last of us!" shouted Petr, as he and Regina fled with the Revive into the amusement park.

"Thank you so much, young man!" said the Daycare man with a smile, "I remember you from when you asked me to look out for some of your Pokemon!"

"Yes," said Touya, "and you're welcome."

"You're a very nice young man," said the Daycare man, "you deserve a reward for this!"

"That's not necessar-"

"Here's a bicycle!"

Touya stared. The man was giving him a _bicycle_ , and he seemed to pull it out of his _pocket_. After a pause, Touya just shrugged and took the bicycle.

"Thank you, sir," said Touya.

"Come back to the Daycare anytime, kiddo!" said the old man as he left, "and remember, you can breed Pokemon there if you like!"

"I'll think about it." said Touya, as he and Juliet waved goodbye.

\----

Touya, Juliet and their Pokemon walked along, looking around at the city's beautiful sights.

"HEY! Touya!"

Touya and Juliet turned to see Bianca running toward them.

"Hey Bianca," said Touya, happy to see his friend again, "you here to challenge Elesa?"

"Maaybe," said Bianca, smiling, "But there's another reason I'm here! The professor told me Nimbasa City has a lot of things to see and do--the amusement park, big stadium, small court, and the battle subway! I’m going to go see the Pokemon Musical! You wanna come with?"

"Certainly," said Touya, "you wanna come too, Juliet?"

"Sure!"

\----

The musical theater was bustling with trainers, dressing their Pokemon up in colorful clothing, choreographers teaching them dance steps. It looked like a lot of fun.

"Amazing, isn't it?" said Bianca, excitedly.

"Yeah," said Touya, "very flashy too!"

"Hello there!" said a woman, smiling, "Are you three new here?"

"We're tourists, actually," said Bianca, "but we would like to participate in dressing up our Pokemon!"

"Well then," said the woman, "here, take these prop cases, they contain the costumes you can put on your Pokemon!"

Bianca, Touya and Juliet were all given the prop cases. Touya smiled and Bianca giggled excitedly as the three got to work.

\----

"They look wonderful!" said Bianca.

Touya had dressed Sir Hiss in a top hat, a cane and a pair of thick rimmed glasses. Screech got a large bowtie and a fake bone. Breezy got a fez, Sea Monkey got a hula skirt and a green barrette, Prima got a cowboy hat and a frying pan and Ruff got a helmet and a tie.

Bianca chuckled in response, with her Dewott having a pirate hat and sword, her Herdier having a tiara and necklace, her Pansear having a leather jacket, and her Musharna having a jewel wrapped around her neck. Juliet's Petilil, Maractus and Cottonee were all wearing punk rock make-up, much to everyone's amusement.

"You look so cute, Bubbles!" said Bianca to her Dewott, who was swinging his toy sword around happily.

"Bubbles? You nicknamed him?" asked Touya.

"Yeah," said Bianca, "I was inspired by you, actually!"

"Me?" asked Touya, surprised.

"You seem so close with your Pokemon, and I figured giving your Pokemon nicknames helped with that! So I decided to give my Pokemon nicknames too, and Cheren did as well!"

"Cool," said Touya happily, "so what are these guys' names?"

"Well I named Dewott Bubbles," she said, pointing to Bubbles as he and Sir Hiss fought each other with their toy sword and cane respectively, "the Herdier's name is Lillian and Pansear's is Frying Pan," Lillian was scolding Frying Pan for burning one of the props, "and Musharna's name is Shaula!" Shaula was still napping in midair.

"Those are great nicknames, Bianca," said Touya, fondly, "I can't wait to hear what nicknames Cheren came up with too!"

"He told me some of 'em!" said Bianca, "They're really good, but I won't spoil them for ya!"

"Anyone want to get a picture?" said the lady, checking in on the dress up session.

"Can we, Touya?" said Juliet excitedly.

"Certainly!" said Touya.

"I'd love it!" said Bianca.

With that, the three all posed with their Pokemon for a picture.

\----

"I'm gonna go dress up my Pokemon some more!" said Juliet, "See ya later, Touya!"

"Don't stray too far away, Juliet!" called out Touya, "What are you gonna do, Bianca?"

"Oh, I don’t know what to do!" said Bianca, fretfully, "Doing the musical stuff would be totally cool, but there's other stuff I wanna do."

Touya chuckled and left his friend to decide on her own. Back when they were kids, Bianca would occasionally rely on Touya to make decisions for her--she used to tell him that he was like an older brother to her, despite being the same age as her. But as she grew, Bianca stopped asking Touya for his opinion and input and started making decisions on her own. She'd often state "No, don't tell me! I wanna decide for myself!" when she had to make hard decisions. Touya was quite proud of her. She really had matured over the years.

"OK, that's it!" she said, at last, "I made up my mind! I'm going to see the sights in Nimbasa! See ya, Touya!"

"Good idea, see you later, Bianca!"

Touya turned to see Juliet taking pictures with her dressed up Pokemon. Touya thought about it and decided to enter one of his Pokemon into a musical. 

\----

Touya had entered Screech into "Forest Stroll", a fairy tale themed musical that was popular with young girls, with three other Pokemon owned by other trainers; a Panpour, a Patrat and a Pidove.

They dressed their Pokemon up in the costumes, Touya choosing a hat, bow tie and cane for Screech, and began rehearsing.

Touya watched Screech as he and the other Pokemon were being taught the moves for the musical. He was having a bit more trouble learning than his "costars", though. He accidentally stepped on the Panpour's tail at one point, prompting the monkey to angrily drench him with water, which caused him to panic and hide behind Touya's leg. The lass who owned the Panpour was extremely annoyed.

"Your bird is bugging my Panpour," she said.

"Cut him some slack," said Touya, defensively, "he doesn't know better."

"What, was he born yesterday?" she asked with derision.

"Yes, actually," said Touya.

"Calm down you two," said the director, "Touya, he's going to do fine. If all else fails, we'll just make him a comic relief character."

"Thanks...I think."

The rehearsals went on and Screech caused a few more mishaps; first, he accidentally tripped the Patrat with his tail, then he got into a fist (wing?) fight with the Pidove. Each time Screech was met with anger, but Touya just smiled calmly and comforted him.

"Don't worry Screech, you'll do fine." said Touya, smiling. Screech smiled back as Touya petted his head and the rehearsal continued.

When they finally managed to pull off the rehearsal, the director had had ushered the Pokemon to the stage and raised the curtain.

To a soft applause of young children and their parents, the four Pokemon danced out onto the stage as their trainers watched from the sidelines. With each musical cue, the Pokemon had to perform a different action, be it jumping, twirling a prop they're holding or simply smiling and/or waving to the audience. Screech had managed to miss two of the cues already, and the play had only just begun.

He fluttered nervously; the crowd was overwhelming enough as it was, but on top of that he still had to deal with those scary Pokemon that he was performing with. Screech scrambled to match the cues, but it was all so confusing--he jumped too early, or twirled the cane when he shouldn't have. He was scared and nervous...and then he caught the eye of his trainer.

Touya just gave him a reassuring smile and a thumbs up, which Screech had come to learn was a symbol of approval. With newfound determination, Screech continued the performance, this time matching the cues perfectly. The cue to jump came and he jumped. The cue to twirl came and he twirled. When the final cue, the one to give a last smile and wave to the audience, he did it without hesitation.

Against all the odds, Screech managed to pull himself through, nailing the performance and earning himself and the rest of the troupe an applause from the audience.

As the curtain closed Touya ran up to his Archen and hugged him, with a smile.

"Great job, Screech! I knew you could do it!"

Screech smiled proudly. He really did love his trainer a lot.

\----

Touya exited the theater with a smile as Screech perched on his arm and Juliet trailed alongside them.

"I was in the audience for your musical performance, Touya," said Juliet, happily, "Screech was great!"

"Thanks," said Touya as he fed Screech a berry, "I think he was a little nervous at first, but he did a great job in the end!"

Suddenly, they heard a very familiar voice from nearby.

"Daddy?! What are you doing here?"

"Was that Bianca?" asked Juliet.

"Yeah, and I smell trouble..." said Touya, exasperated.

"I've come to take you back home, of course!" said a man's voice as Touya and Juliet headed to the source of the argument, "Your mother told me that you'd made it all the way out here. Haven't you gone far enough?"

"No way!" retorted Bianca, "I'm going to keep traveling with Touya, Cheren and my Pokemon!"

"That rotten Cheren kid must've put you up to this," said Bianca's father as Touya and Juliet arrived at their location--he was a portly, balding gentleman with a strict demeanor to him. "I knew he was a bad influence on you!"

"Hey Bianca, hey Mr. Blanchard," asked Touya, trying to lighten up the situation, "am I interrupting something?"

"Oh Touya, thank Arceus you're here!" shouted both Bianca and her father at the same time, before pointing at each other and saying "Please talk some sense into-"

"-him!"

"-her!"

Touya was sure this would be a long day now...

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Regina's Patrat is shiny. No none of the grunts had shinies in game. I just kind of liked the idea. Plus it helped differentiate Regina's Patrat from Petr's.
> 
> I decided to have Bianca and Cheren start nicknaming their Pokemon, but unlike certain other things, I opted not to retcon that and instead portray them deciding to name their Pokemon after Touya's influence.
> 
> The musical was surprisingly difficult to write @_@
> 
> I decided to make Bianca's last name "Blanchard", with my rational being that I looked up names meaning "white" and that one stuck out the most. "Bianca Blanchard" had a nice ring to it, the more I thought. And in case you're wondering, I imagine Cheren's last name is "Noire".


	16. The Pawn, the Queen and the King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! I was going to include the Gym Battle but unfortunately this ended up falling through due to the issue of N's exposition and all that. I'm sick of changing the number of predicted chapters so I've decided it'll be easier to just declare it finished when it's finished.  
> With that being said, enjoy this new chapter!

Touya stared at the scene in front of him. His best friend Bianca and her overprotective father were both demanding that he enter his input on their family squabble. Juliet and Screech both looked very confused. Touya himself was mostly just frustrated.

"What do you want me to say?" he asked.

"Tell daddy that I'm a good trainer and keep traveling!" said Bianca.

"I never said you weren't a _good_ trainer, I just said you can't keep traveling!" said Mr. Blanchard.

"But I CAN and I will!"

"Absolutely not! Others do things their way, and we do things ours!"

"Is that so? Then, how about you do things your way, and I'll do things mine!"

This prompted Mr. Blanchard to sputter in alarm. Touya chuckled, Juliet giggled and Bianca beamed proudly at the response she made.

"Bianca," said Mr. Blanchard, calming down, "you know I love you, but you have to face facts: You're easily distracted, you're emotional and, I don't want to be rude here, but you're a bit on the clumsy side!"

"I am NOT easily distracted!" said Bianca, affronted.

"Well, you gotta admit," said Touya, "you're you don't exactly have the highest attention span."

"Well, I'm NOT emotional!"

"Actually you can be sometimes," added Touya, "like now, for instance."

"Well, I'm most certainly NOT clumsy!"

"Oh come on, now you're just kidding yourself!"

Bianca turned to Touya with ice in her stare.

"Touya, whose side are you on?" she asked, darkly.

"Hey, I'm not on anyone's side!" said Touya, defensively, "I happen to think you both have a point!"

After a sigh and a smile, Touya went on with "And _because_ I think both of you have a point, I'll tell your dad why I think you should be allowed to travel."

"You too, Touya?" said a shocked Mr. Blanchard.

"Yes," said Touya, "Mr. Blanchard, Bianca is a strong trainer! Almost all of her Pokemon have already evolved and she made it all the way to Nimbasa City! Bianca, show him how many badges you have."

Bianca nodded cheerfully and took off her hat, showing her father the row of badges she had pinned to it--the Trio Badge, the Basic Badge and the Insect Badge.

"She's already got three badges and is looking to get more, along with me and Cheren! She couldn't get those badges if she wasn't strong enough to face the Gym Leaders."

"Yeah," said Juliet, "so butt out already!"

Mr. Blanchard glared at Juliet irritably and said "Touya, who is this young lady and does she need to learn some manners?"

"This is my friend Juliet," said Touya, chuckling, "I met her during our travels."

"Daddy, PLEASE!" said Bianca, bringing everyone back to the topic at hand, "I want to keep traveling!"

"Bianca, I won't take no for an answer anymore! I love you, honey, and that's exactly WHY I want you to come home!"

"Sweetie, don't listen to him. You keep going on your travels."

Everyone turned to see a tall, sleek and truly _beautiful_ young woman, somewhere in her early twenties, striding confidently toward them. Her hair was bright blond, her eyes were electric blue and she was dressed in a revealing yellow outfit. Bianca looked surprised, Touya was blushing and Juliet was starry eyed. Mr. Blanchard, on the other hand, looked fairly angry.

"Hey! Who do you think you are? This is a family matter!"

"My name is Elesa." said the woman, calmly, "I'm this town's Gym Leader. I also happen to be a model," she added with a wink in Touya's direction, making him blush again.

"Oh," said Mr. Blanchard, suddenly looking slightly flustered, "I apologize for my lack of respect, ma'am, I didn't realize I was in the presence of a Gym Leader."

"You don't have to," said Elesa, smiling, "I simply want to impart some advice for both of you. Now what exactly is going on here?"

Bianca and her father started talking in unison about it, to which Touya simply explained everything to Elesa in a calm and orderly manner.

"I see," said Elesa turning to Bianca, "You know, there are many people in this world. There are people whose way of thinking may be completely different from yours. Sometimes, this means you may get hurt."

"Of course!" said Mr. Blanchard, "That's exactly right! It's because I'm worried about that..."

"But," Elesa went on, glancing at Mr. Blanchard with a look that made him realize that she wasn't _quite_ agreeing with him, "it's important to keep trying, to learn about the differences between yourself and others. To learn that being different is OK. And you shouldn't worry, sir. Trainers always have Pokemon at their side." 

She let out an Emolga, a small, electric gliding squirrel in the Pikachu family, to demonstrate this point. It perched on her shoulder and she scratched it behind the ears. 

"Pokemon are wonderful. It's not only how cute they can be, but also how much you can depend on them."

Bianca turned to her father, sighed softly and said "Dad...I know there's gonna be painful stuff like you’re worrying about! I know! Really, I get it! But, like, listen...There'll be tons of nice people, too. Know what else? Since I've been traveling with Pokemon, I’ve already gotten tougher, I can totally tell. So...please?" 

Mr. Blanchard paused for a moment, then took a deep breath and said "Hmm... I guess. If wanting to continue your journey is selfishness on your part, wanting to stop you is selfishness on mine. I'm surprised to find I'm the one being childish--at my age! This Gym Leader's comments helped me wake up. Bianca, I'm sure it's better that you take the path you want to take now. But on one condition."

"What's that?" asked Bianca.

"Call your mother and I every now and then to let us know you're alright."

"Of course!"

"I hope that your journey will be fun, sweetheart. Bon voyage!" turning to Touya, he said, "Touya, please take care of my little girl, okay?"

"As always, Mr. Blanchard," said Touya, smiling fondly, "she's like a sister to me."

Mr. Blanchard took Touya aside and added "And keep her away from that Cheren kid, okay?"

"No promises, sir," said Touya, grinning.

"Bye daddy," said Bianca, waving, "I'll come home after I find out what I really want to do!"

"Goodbye Bianca! Tell your mother and I all about your adventures, okay?"

"I will!"

With that, Mr. Blanchard departed.

\----

"I'm sure he traveled as a trainer himself, in the past..." said Elesa, once Bianca's father was gone, "Being a parent must be hard."

"He'll be fine," said Bianca, smiling, "I love him but he can be a little suffocating sometimes!"

"Did I meddle unnecessarily? You looked troubled, so I decided to chime in."

"Nah," said Touya, "Bianca's been trying to reason with him for ages. He needed an authority figure to tell him she'll be okay."

"Sure sounds like it," said Juliet, as she handed a berry to Screech.

"By the way," added Elesa, grinning, "if you're trainers, please stop by the Pokemon Gym. I'll teach you a little something about how tough a journey can get."

She winked again, and was about to leave when Touya remembered something.

"Oh, Elesa!" he said, "Team Plasma was here earlier, and they were robbing an old man!"

"Really now?" asked Elesa, looking surprised, "Well then, they're not gonna get very far in MY town, I'll track them down for ya kid, don't worry. But just in case, how about you look for them too?"

"Certainly," said Touya.

"Great, I'll see you at the Gym sometime, kiddo!"

Touya, Bianca and Juliet watched her leave, all immediately admiring her.

"She's so cool! Hah!" said Bianca, excitedly, "I want to be a totally cool woman like Elesa! Mm. I wonder how I’ll get there. Well, before that, I guess I need to discover what I really want to do! See you later, Touya, and you too, Juliet!"

"See you later," said Touya, waving.

"Bye!" said Juliet.

"Always in a hurry, that Bianca."

"Yeah," said Juliet, "Let's go hang out!"

"I still think we should try looking for Team Pla-OW!"

Touya had promptly knocked into someone as he and Juliet walked along, prompting Juliet to shriek and Screech to...well, Screech.

"Ouch..."

"Touya?"

Touya blinked and looked up. Standing in front of him...was N. 

"Oh! Hello, N!" said Touya standing up, somewhat relieved to see a...marginally friendly face. Screech fluttered up to his shoulder and N looked at him with a fond expression.

"I see you've obtained an Archen," he said, nostalgically and petted Screech on the head--unlike Sir Hiss, Screech appreciated the sentiment, "that takes me back to my younger days as a trainer...you are treating it right, correct?"

Touya couldn't peg why, but N sounded slightly angry at that last statement. Juliet was immediately on guard.

"Of course, why wouldn't I?"

N didn't answer. Instead, he said "You're looking for Team Plasma, right?"

"Yes!" said Touya, "Have you seen them?"

"They ran into the amusement park," N said, "come with me."

"Thank you! Come on, Juliet!"

"Careful, Touya," said Juliet, "there's something fishy about this guy!"

\----

Having wandered through the amusement park for several hours, Touya, N and Juliet failed to find even a trace of Team Plasma anywhere. Touya sighed in irritation. Those jerks were better at staying hidden than he thought.

"They're not here." said N.

"Thanks, Braviary-Eye," said Juliet sardonically.

"You'd think with their ridiculous costumes they'd be easier to spot!" said Touya, prompting a chuckle from N, "Well hey, as long as we're in an amusement park we might as well enjoy ourselves, right? You guys wanna go on a ride?"

N and Juliet both looked surprised.

"Are you including me?" asked N, seeming a bit shocked.

"Are you including him?" asked Juliet looking very nervous.

"Yeah," said Touya standing up, "I mean, we're friends, right?"

N looked at Touya, seeming to be speechless.

"I have a bad feeling about this," said Juliet.

"C'mon N," said Touya, "is there a ride you want to go on?"

N paused for a moment, seemingly lost in thought.

He then said, "Let's ride the Ferris wheel."

He pointed to the Ferris wheel and Touya smiled.

"Okay then!"

"Joy." said Juliet sarcastically.

\----

Entering the Ferris wheel, Touya sat across from N in a compartment (shaped like a Pokeball) built for two people. Juliet entered the compartment behind them with a boy around her age. Screech perched on Touya's shoulder, nibbling a berry and smiling. 

Touya smiled, looking out the window and talking animatedly about how high up they were.

"This was a great idea, N!"

N smiled and nodded.

"I love Ferris wheels. The circular motion...the mechanics...they're like collections of elegant formulas."

"Uh...yeah, they're cool! I can see the whole park and city from up here!"

"Indeed," said N, "do you think you can see Team Plasma from up here?"

"Well," said Touya, a bit surprised at the question, "no...again I'm surprised...you'd think those crazy outfits of theirs would be more obvious!"

N smiled and said, "Touya...do you dislike Team Plasma?"

"Yes!" said Touya, "They're awful!"

"And why would you believe that?"

"Well," said Touya, "so far I've only ever seen horrible things from them! They robbed the Nacrene City Museum! Just today I caught them robbing the Daycare Man! They stole my friend's Munna!"

N shook his head, "But are those actions of Team Plasma itself, or the actions of individuals in it?"

Touya looked at him, then looked at Screech. Screech gave a shrug, as if to say "Don't ask me!"

"In Castelia, their senior members ordered the Grunts to kidnap my friend's Pokemon!"

"I'm sure they had a good reason."

Touya sighed and decided to bring out the big guns.

"One of them killed my Pokemon."

N, for the first time, looked genuinely angry and shocked. He stood up in horror, nearly shaking the compartment in doing so.

"What!?" he asked, "That can't be! That is completely against what Team Plasma believes!"

"I...How do you know that?" asked Touya.

N paused and sat back down.

"I haven't been completely honest with you, Touya," he said, calming down, "I must tell you...I am the king of Team Plasma."

Touya's eyes widened in alarm. He stared at N, who was now wearing a very serious expression and staring Touya straight in the eyes. After some thought, Touya decided that N being a member of Team Plasma wasn't at all surprising--he did seem to have the same obsession with "Pokemon liberation" they had, after all. But him being their king, their _leader_ was what shocked him. 

In the textbooks he had read, he had only ever heard of adults leading criminal organizations--the infamous Giovanni was well into his thirties when he ruled Kanto's Team Rocket with an iron fist, and the more recent "Team Galactic's" leader was somewhere in his late twenties before he vanished mysteriously. N however was only a year or two older than Touya himself, so him being in charge of Team Plasma was nearly unbelievable to him.

"Y-You're really the leader of Team Plasma?" asked Touya, unable to think of anything else to say.

N nodded, "Ghetsis asked me to work with him to save Pokemon. I wonder how many Pokemon exist in this world..."

There was that name again...Ghetsis...this was making Touya uneasy. He remembered the way Ghetsis acted, his expressions, the way he talked to and about him...there was something about the man that disturbed him and made him suspicious.

"How can you be sure that this Ghetsis guy is telling the truth about how Pokemon are being treated?" he asked.

N didn't answer. In fact, he seemed to ignore the question.

"Touya, you say you love your Pokemon. If you really love them, why would you keep them captive like this?"

"I'm _not_ ," said Touya, "my Pokemon and I share a bond. Sir Hiss, Prima, Ruff, Sea Monkey, Breezy, Screech here...I care about all of them. And I care about the ones who aren't on my team now--like REM. And Z-Stripe, the Blitzle your people killed."

"Stop saying that-"

"Why? Why should I stop when it's the truth?"

"Because it's NOT! I don't doubt that a Pokemon trainer killed your Pokemon, but whoever it was, it couldn't have been a Team Plasma member! You must have been mistaken!"

"It was a member of the group you sent to steal the Dragonite skull from Lenora."

N was silent for a moment. The silence was only broken by Screech making small chirping sounds.

"Look, N," said Touya, "I'm not going to doubt that you care about Pokemon. You really sound like you do. But I'm not hurting my Pokemon by training with them. I care about them a lot, and that's exactly why I keep them!"

N sighed.

"And I don't doubt that you care about them either," said N, "but you are wrong and I will show you that you are wrong. Unless, of course, you want to join us now?"

"No. Not after what one of your grunts did to my Blitzle."

N glared at Touya and said "So that's how it is...that's unfortunate."

They were both silent for the rest of the ride, Screech watching in concern all the while. 

\----

They reached the end of the ride. N exited and, to Touya's surprise, Petr and Regina were there.

"Lord N," said Petr, nervously, but N held up a hand to silence him.

"Leave, both of you," he said in a commanding voice.

"Yes, Lord N," said Petr as he and Regina ran off.

"HEY! Where do you think you're going!?" called out another voice; Touya turned to see Juliet running out of her Ferris wheel compartment. Touya grabbed her to keep her from getting into anything she couldn't finish.

"I was going to battle you," said N, "but I want to set a good example for the child."

"Juliet can handle a battle," said Touya, "she followed me because she wanted to learn some tricks from me."

"How unfortunate for the child."

"WHAT!?" asked Juliet.

"Perhaps I can't beat you here and now," said N, "but I'll battle you anyway to buy time for those members of Team Plasma to flee."

Touya nodded and said "And I'm ready for it."

The battle started. Touya sent Screech first, as he was already out anyway. N sent out a colorful, vaguely birdlike alien that Touya recognized as the Psychic/Flying-type Pokemon Sigilyph. A swift Ancient Power and the Sigilyph was down.

Next, N sent out a bipedal lizard with some loose old skin acting as a set of natural "trousers"--a Scraggy, Dark/Fighting-type. Touya sent out Breezy. N commanded the Scraggy to use Brick Break and with a powerful chop from its foreleg, it managed to injure Breezy. Touya commanded Breezy to use Roost, and sure enough, Breezy nestled himself in the dust and healed himself. Touya then commanded him to use Air Cutter, which knocked the Scraggy out.

"Your Pokémon look happy," said N, darkly, before sending out a Darumaka, "even if I lose, is it different from the future I saw?"

Touya sent out Sea Monkey and commanded her to use Water Gun. The little fiery ape was drenched with water and fell. N returned his fainted Pokemon and sighed.

"The result was the same...but you...who are you?"

"I'm someone who cares about Pokemon and wants to learn more about them," said Touya, flatly, "and...I can be a friend, if you want."

"What!?" asked Juliet, "You can't be serious!"

"I am," said Touya, "N, I believe you when you say that you care about Pokemon. If you want, I can help you...but you need to get away from Team Plasma. They're wrong."

N stared at him...and shook his head.

"No," said N, " _you're_ the one who's wrong. I have a future that I must change, and for that future there is only one thing I can do. Goodbye, Touya...we'll see each other again, I assure you, but until then, I have eyes all over Unova to keep watch on you..."

"Wait, N!" 

But before Touya could say anything more, a Pokemon appeared out of seemingly nowhere and tackled him at a blinding speed--he couldn't even see what Pokemon it was. He fell to the ground and sat up as he watched N walk away.

"Touya!" shrieked Juliet, "Are you okay!?"

"Yes," Touya lied, "I'm fine..."

Juliet helped Touya up and by the time they turned to confront N further, he was gone.

\----

N arrived at the Nimbasa Plasma hideout as his Pokemon rested next to him. N scratched it behind the ears and sighed.

 _"Don't feel so down, N,"_ said the Pokemon, _"you can't change everyone..."_

"I know," said N, "but for the sake of all Pokemon, I have to try."

_"What do you want to do now, then?"_

"I'm going all the way to the top. Will you join me?"

A set of bright blue eyes gleamed and met N's green eyes.

_"You know the answer to that."_

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, that was an FMA reference at the end ^_^  
> Guess who that Pokemon talking to N was!  
> Next one will probably include the battle with Elesa...joy -_-  
> EDIT: OH, I almost forgot, this fanfic has a trope page: http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> Feel free to edit it!


	17. The Electric Empress

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hate Elesa, I hate Emolga and I hate Volt Switch -_-;
> 
> Seriously, it took me at least five tries to get through her gym when I played the game! And for poor Touya, this here is only the first attempt!
> 
> I'm sorry I haven't been updating lately. School is going crazy. Today I have a brief reprieve but I'm gonna have to go back on a short hiatus after this is done. But don't worry because it's almost summer break! Yay!

Touya and Juliet arrived at the hotel that Cheren and Bianca booked them for. Bianca had contacted Touya via his XTranceiver, informing him of the location and which room they were staying at. Touya had dropped Juliet off at Bianca's room and headed off to Cheren's. Touya let out a sad sigh, unsure of how to feel with N and all this weirdness with Team Plasma. He entered the room, ready to just flop onto a bed and fall asleep.

And he once again witnessed Cheren flexing in his underwear in front of a mirror.

"And Cheren, the champion of the Unova League, is looking good!" he said, striking a pose, "but the question on everyone's mind is how does he stay in such great shape?"

Touya suppressed a chuckle--he could certainly count on his friends to cheer him up, even if they didn't mean to.

"Well, to answer your question," Cheren said, as though he was answering an imaginary interviewer, "I've been working out by doing hand-to-hand combat with Abner! The two of us sure do make a great team!"

"Wearin' your Pikachu undies this time, Cheren?"

"AAAH!" shouted Cheren, turning around and covering the aforementioned Pikachu print boxers with the blanket on his bed, "Stop doing that!"

"Sorry," said Touya, laughing, "couldn't resist. By the way, who's Abner?"

"Oh," said Cheren, calming down a little and sitting down on the bed, "he's my Pignite. I named him."

"Oh yeah," said Touya sitting down on his own bed and letting out his Pokemon, "Bianca told me you started nicknaming them. What are the others called?"

"My Liepard's name is Sylvester, my Pansage's name is Cyrus and my Tranquill's name is Skye, with an e."

"Cool!" said Touya, pouring himself a soda from the hotel's minifridge, "Have you challenged Elesa yet?"

Cheren shook his head.

"Nah, but I did go to the Battle Subway."

Touya swallowed his drink hard.

"You did?" he asked, "Um...did you happen to meet...?"

"No, I did not meet Hilda," said Cheren, chuckling, "why? Do you wanna visit her?"

"No, actually," said Touya, "quite the opposite, I want to avoid her."

"Geez, you sure do have issues with her, don't you?"

"What, I can't be mad at my _perfect_ sister for just being SOOO _perfect_?"

"Hey, come on," said Cheren, "I have three older brothers and all of them are tough trainers. But I don't whine about it."

"Yeah, you're just trying to one up them."

Cheren turned to glare at him. Touya just chuckled as his Pokemon picked out places to sleep.

"Goodnight, Touya."

"Night, Cheren...don't let the Pikachus bite..."

Cheren blushed and pulled his blankets up a little. Touya chuckled and yawned before rolling over.

"G'night, guys." he added to his Pokemon, who all made their various noises in response, and Touya closed his eyes and fell asleep.

\----

_Touya opened his eyes to see a horrible three-headed beast. It loomed in front of him, three sets of eyes all glaring at him with such intensity that he felt a chill right down to his bones. He couldn't see any features beyond the silhouette and its eyes, which were all glowing, and this frightened him. However, he was almost certain that it was a Pokemon--what else could it be?_

_Touya thought quickly and sent out Sir Hiss. Sir Hiss glared at the opponent, which just glowered at him with all three sets of eyes._

_"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado!"_

_Sir Hiss used the attack, hitting the monster. But the shadowy creature was unaffected. Sir Hiss stumbled back in shock and Touya stared in fear. A distorted voice from seemingly nowhere said one phrase: "Attack."_

_Sir Hiss was hit with a sudden, violent attack, throwing him backwards. Touya let out a terrified yell, calling out his Pokemon's name. Sir Hiss fell to the ground in front of him, bloody and beaten, motionless, breathless...he was dead._

_Touya tried again with Prima. She was just as swiftly taken out as Sir Hiss was. The process repeated itself--Ruff, Sea Monkey, Breezy, Screech, all of his on-hand Pokemon fell to this monster, all dead just as Sir Hiss was._

_Touya started to cry._

_"No..." he whimpered, "no..."_

_"It's over," said the voice as the three-headed monster hovered upward and charged up an attack, "goodbye..."_

_"No...no no no no no!"_

_All three of the monster's heads fired an attack at him, and it hit him point blank._

"NO!"

Touya sat up, breathing heavily.

It was all a dream...there was no three-headed monster, his Pokemon were alive, he was alive and he was in the hotel room with Cheren sleeping in the bed next to his.

Or at least, he thought Cheren was sleeping. 

"Cheren," asked Touya, "are you awake?"

"What's that, Bianca?" mumbled Cheren, "You have an even _smaller_ bathing suit?"

 _"Yeah, he's asleep,"_ thought Touya, _"I'll talk to him about the nightmare tomorrow..."_

\----

The next day, Touya met with Bianca and Juliet for breakfast. He discovered that Cheren once again skipped eating in favor of challenging Elesa, much to Bianca's dismay.

"He seriously needs to stop rushing into these things," said Bianca, irritably, "when he gets back, I'm gonna make him eat until his belt buckle breaks."

"You're such a mom, Bianca!" said Juliet.

"For most people yeah," said Touya smirking, "but for Cheren, she's more like a wife." 

Touya chuckled (as did Juliet) before Bianca kicked him in the shin under the table.

"So do you intend to challenge her too, Touya?" asked Bianca, changing the subject.

"Yes," said Touya, "I've heard a lot of rumors about her and her gym."

"Like what?" asked Juliet.

"Oh just normal stuff," said Touya, "that she's tough, that she's vicious, that she likes to bottle and flavor the tears of past challengers so that she can drink 'em to celebrate her victory."

"Wait, what?" asked Juliet, looking both surprised and slightly amused.

"It's just a silly rumor," said Touya, chuckling, "I'm sure she's not that bad..."

\----

Cheren returned from his battle somewhere around noon screaming "SHE'S THAT BAD!"

"She is?" asked Touya, a bit skeptical due to Cheren's tendency to be dramatic.

"Yes!" shouted Cheren, "Touya, take my advice, use a Rock-type in your battle with her! Trust me, you'll need something that can kill a Flying-type!"

"Why would I need to fight Flying-types? I thought Elesa was an Electric trainer?"

"Two of her best Pokemon are Electric/Flying-types! Trust me, if I didn't bring back my Carracosta, I'd have been a goner!"

"But my only Rock-type is Screech, and he's part Flying-type himself!"

"That's better than nothing! I need to heal...I'll see you later, Touya."

Touya watched Cheren head over to the Pokemon Center. Bianca sighed and Juliet looked up at Touya.

"Touya," said Bianca, "you still gonna battle her?"

"Of course," said Touya, "I do wanna advance in the League after all."

"Can we watch, Touya?" asked Juliet happily.

"Of course," said Touya smiling, "let's go to the Gym."

He looked at Screech's Pokeball. It seemed that he's gonna be the one who will lead the battle with Elesa...

\----

Elesa's stadium was huge and, unlike the Gyms he had battled in the past, had an enormous audience of thousands of people. Touya felt a little self-conscious again, though Bianca and Juliet's presence made him feel more at ease. He stood on one end of a huge runway, expecting that Elesa would be on the other end.

An announcer, wearing a suit and sunglasses, stood next to him with a smile and yelled into a microphone "Hello, everyone! We have another challenger today! His name is..."

He held the microphone up to Touya.

"T-Touya, sir."

"His name's TOUYA! And he's from..."

"Nuvema Town."

"NUVEMA TOWN! Now he shall go into battle against our electrifying beauty, Elesa!"

The crowd all started cheering as Elesa made her way through a curtain on the other side of the stage, striding toward him confidently. He blushed upon seeing her for the second time--something about the way Elesa made an entrance certainly had that effect on him. It seemed he wasn't alone. The crowd, consisting of thousands of men and women, all cheered ever louder as she appeared. Touya distinctly heard a woman screaming "I LOVE YOU ELESA!" loudly.

"Nice to see you again, Touya," said Elesa, grinning.

"Thank you," said Touya.

"I don't think we have to exchange too much more words," said Elesa, smiling, "My Pokemon will make your head spin!"

"Okay, then," said Touya.

"You can do it Touya!" said Juliet.

"Good luck out there!" said Bianca.

"Go, Riliane!"

Elesa tossed a Pokeball and an Emolga burst out. Touya recognized it--an electric rodent from the same genus as the ever popular Pikachu. Like all electric rodents, it had specialized organs in its cheeks that produced powerful electric shocks, though unlike its cousins it had a membrane stretched along its arms and legs, allowing it to glide and earning it a classification as a Flying-type. Touya sighed. Now he knew what Cheren meant about Flying-types.

"Screech, go!" shouted Touya, tossing a Pokeball of his own.

Screech landed in front the Emolga, flapping his wings and looking ready to fight.

"Oh, this should be good," sneered Elesa, "Riliane, use Quick Attack!"

The Emolga giggled and swooped down, faster than Screech could dodge, and hit him point blank. Screech looked up, quite surprised.

"Don't let it get to you Screech! Hit it with an Ancient Power!"

Screech sent a set of large rocks flying at the Emolga, which took damage, but not enough to faint...

"Riliane, Volt Switch now!"

The Emolga charged up electric energy and swooped down, hitting Screech with and shocking him severely. Then the Emolga flew back to its trainer, who switched it out for another Emolga.

"You wanna quit now, or should Allen here destroy your bird some more?"

"Screech is just fine, thank you."

"I wouldn't be so sure of that..."

"Screech, use Ancient Power again!"

But Screech didn't seem to listen. He started squawking in a panic, flapping his wings and rushing to hide behind his trainer.

"Screech?" asked Touya, suddenly very concerned, "what's wrong?"

"You may wanna check that Pokedex of yours," said Elesa, "It'll tell you what you need to know about Archens..."

Touya fumbled for his Pokedex and checked Archen's entry. He noticed one thing that stood out...

_Ability: Defeatist - Halves attack stats when the user's HP drops to half or lower_

Touya gulped. _"I'm such an idiot!"_ he thought.

"Screech, return," he said, returning Screech to his Pokeball, "Go, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss burst out. Touya's heart was beating heavily in his chest--as a Grass-type, Sir Hiss was resistant to Electric-type moves, but he was weak to Flying moves. Could he be sure if Sir Hiss would be able to win?

"Allen, use Aerial Ace!" shouted Elesa. Crap, a Flying move.

The Emolga glided swiftly at Sir Hiss and swiped at him twice with its claws. Sir Hiss scowled at it.

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss hit the Emolga with the windy attack, but the Emolga was undeterred.

"Allen, Volt Switch!"

The Emolga once again hit Sir Hiss with that electric move that switched it out. Mercifully it did less damage to Sir Hiss than it did to Screech. Instead of another Emolga emerging, a Zebstrika appeared, and Touya felt a slight ache in his heart thinking about Z-Stripe.

"Do you forfeit yet?" asked Elesa, her grin suddenly seeming all the nastier.

"No," said Touya. Thankfully this was a pure Electric-type this time. Sir Hiss may have a chance now...

"Fine then," said Elesa, "Gallerian, use Flame Charge!"

"Wait, WHAT!?"

Sir Hiss tried to dodge the attack but it was too late--the electric zebra wreathed itself in fire and charged at Sir Hiss viciously, hitting him hard and knocking him out.

"Sir Hiss!" shouted Touya, horrified.

"Now do you give up?" asked Elesa, grinning evilly.

"I...I..."

"Touya!" shouted Bianca, "You may wanna stop for now...none of your other Pokemon can handle her!"

Touya paused and then conceded that she was right--Breezy and Sea Monkey were both at a type disadvantage and Prima and Ruff weren't strong enough yet...he needed something that had an edge...

"I forfeit the match." said Touya.

"Ah, music to my ears!" said Elesa, smiling, "Gallerian, return!"

"Sir Hiss, let's get you healed up," said Touya.

"So Touya, what will you do now?" asked Elesa.

"I'm going to heal up, train some more and challenge you again!"

"That's great!"

"Thanks, I-"

"Because I look forward to crushing you and your will to be a Pokemon trainer a second time!"

"..."

\----

Touya sat at the Pokemon Center as a Nurse Joy treated Sir Hiss for his burns. The other Pokemon had already been healed and were playing together. All except Screech, who just sat next to Touya sadly.

"It's not your fault, Screech," said Touya as the little dinosaur looked up at him apologetically, "it was mine. I got carried away and didn't think to check how well you'd do out there."

Screech squawked a little and Touya petted his head.

"You're probably gonna have to sit the next one out though. But don't worry, I promise I'll bring you back when I'm done!"

"Excuse me," said the Nurse Joy, "your Servine's burns have been healed, Mr. Black!"

"Thanks ma'am!" said Touya, as Sir Hiss was returned to him on a stretcher. Sir Hiss yawned and scrambled onto Touya's shoulders, draping himself around them.

"So what are you gonna do now?" asked Bianca.

"Yeah," said Juliet, "Elesa was a real witch out there!"

"Well," said Touya, "I think I'm gonna ask Fennel to send over my Sandile. I think it's time for him to come out of retirement for a little bit."

"Ground-type moves won't affect those Emolgas, though."

"I know, but they will affect Zebstrika and resist the Flame Charge."

"What'll you do about the rats with wings, then?" asked Juliet.

"I'm not sure," said Touya, "I'll think of something, but in the meantime, let's go get some lunch. I'm starved."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I bet you all know who the three-headed beast in Touya's nightmare was!
> 
> Spoiler Alert: Clearly it was an amalgamation of Elesa's Emolgas and Zebstrika!


	18. Of Sand Crocs and Famous Sisters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welcome back! School is pretty much done, now so I can go back to this now! :3
> 
> This chapter officially introduces Touya's sister Hilda, who I like to picture as being like a more hot-blooded and overtly selfish version of Olga Petaki from Hey Arnold, and we get to see some training up and evolving for Irwin and Prima.
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

"Sending Irwin over now, Touya!" said Professor Fennel on the PC monitor, "I'll take good care of Screech while you're waiting!"

"Thanks Professor," said Touya, smiling, "I'll need all the help I can get to defeat Elesa."

"While you're waiting," said Fennel, "you wanna say hi to REM? He misses you a lot!"

"Of course," said Touya, smiling as the Musharna floated onto the screen.

"Muun..."

"Hey, REM," said Touya, "how're you doing?"

"Muun!"

"I hope you and Screech get along well while I'm gone!"

Screech fluttered onto REM's head and squawked cheerfully, only to cough a little upon breathing in the dream mist from his head. Touya chuckled as Screech fluttered into Fennel's arms and Fennel gave him a reassuring smile.

"He'll be safe with me, Touya! You go on and battle Elesa--by the way, was she too tough? I hear she bathes in the blood of past defeated Pokemon to gain power from them!"

"C'mon, Professor," said Touya, grabbing Irwin's Pokeball as it materialized from the PC, "she was tough, but I highly doubt any of those rumors are true!"

"Alrighty, well when you wanna take Screech back, he'll be here waiting!"

"Okay, see ya Professor."

"See ya!"

With that, Fennel hung up and Touya let Irwin out. The little Sandile smiled up and him and Touya patted his rough scaly head.

"Welcome back, Irwin...I'm pullin' you out of retirement for a battle..."

Juliet had been talking animatedly to the Nurse Joy and Touya called for her that it was time to leave.

"Are you gonna train up your Sandile?"

"Yeah, but not yet," said Touya, smiling, "I think we all deserve a break for now..."

"Thank goodness!"

\----

"Touya! Juliet!" called out Bianca, as Touya and Juliet were leaving the Center.

"Hey Bianca," said Touya, waving, "where've you been?"

"A little sight-seeing again," she said, "I just happened to go to the Battle Subway and you will not believe who I met there!"

Touya felt a horrible chill run down his spine as he heard that.

"Oh no," he whimpered, "Bianca, please, tell me it's not-"

"OH BABY BROOOOOOOTHEEEEER!" called out a young woman's voice. A terrifyingly familiar one too...

"It's Hilda!" said Bianca, cheerfully. Touya facepalmed.

"Hi Hilda." he said in a deadpan voice. Looking up, he saw that Hilda looked pretty much as she always looked--she was a head taller than him, though most of that height was her poofy brown ponytail-styled hair, and she was dressed in a sleeveless shirt, black vest, boots and frayed jean shorts. Her visor was similar to his hat but pink where his was red and white where his was black. And naturally, she was also tall, curvy and so beautiful that everyone (men, women, _Pokemon_...) fell in love with her. It made him sick to his stomach.

"Oh Touya," said Hilda, "don't be so formal! I'm your sister! C'mon, give me a BIIIIIG hug!"

"Hilda, no, please-"

Hilda promptly scooped her brother up and pulled him into a bone-crushing hug. Touya gritted his teeth and muttered "Too tight! Too tight!" as Hilda eventually released him, leaving him gasping for breath.

"Touya," said Juliet, "who is this?"

"Hilda," sputtered Touya, still trying to catch his breath, "she's my big sister. She works at the Battle Subway."

"That's right!" said Hilda, striking a dynamic pose, "I'm working from the ground up to be a Subway Boss, just like Emmet and Ingo!"

Subway Bosses Emmet and Ingo were the leaders of the Battle Subway--twin brothers who had always been a tag team together, they always battled people who had a 20-50 battles winning streak on their record. Hilda had always idolized them, to the point that she gave up the Champion title after challenging the League so that she could get a job at the Battle Subway, working for them usually by providing single trainers with a partner in the Double and Multi-battle cars.

"So," said Hilda, "who's hungry? Let's go get some chow!"

"I'm down with that!" said Juliet.

"Me too!" said Bianca.

"Joy." said Touya.

\----

"So, Touya," said Hilda, biting into a sandwich as she, Touya, Bianca and Juliet all sat together at a local restaurant, "Bianca tells me you're going on your own Pokemon journey! Is that true?"

"Mom and dad didn't inform you already?" grumbled Touya, sipping a smoothie.

"Perfect! So you'll trying to follow in my footsteps are you?"

Touya laughed so hard he was almost afraid that he'd choke on his drink.

"NO!" he said, incredulously, "I'm looking to fill the Pokedex! I'm travelling Unova and challenging the League so that I can travel and find more Pokemon to catch!"

"It'd be a lot easier too," said Juliet, "if it weren't for Team Plasma."

"You mean that weird cult that's obsessed with Pokemon liberation or some garbage like that?" asked Hilda.

"Yes!" said Bianca, "You've heard of them?"

"Heard of 'em? I fought 'em at Liberty Island!"

"Oh yeah," said Touya, with venom in his voice, " _that_."

"Wait a minute," said Juliet, "you're the trainer who caught that legendary!?"

"Yes indeed!" said Hilda, pulling out a Level Ball with a smile, "It wasn't easy, but I did it and now, the one and only Victini is mine!"

"Wow!" said Juliet and Bianca with admiration.

"Woooow." said Touya, sarcastically to himself.

"So, Touya," said Hilda, "You want some help beating Elesa? Bianca told me that you were having a hard time with that..."

"What makes you think I _want_ your help, Hilda?"

"Because I'm sure you'd want an expert's opinion, like me!"

"Yeah, no," said Touya standing up with his drink, "Irwin, Sir Hiss and I don't need your help, or you."

"Who? OH! You're talking about your Pokemon, aren't you? Oh that's adorable! You nickname them! That's so precious!"

"Shut up, Hilda! C'mon, Irwin, Juliet, we're leaving."

Juliet finished her drink quickly and left to follow Touya, while Irwin jumped onto Touya's shoulder. Hilda and Bianca watched them go, and Hilda stood up.

"Wait, Touya, take this!" she called out.

Touya turned and saw a strange device being tossed toward him, hitting him in the face. It fell in his hands and he looked at it...it was an Experience Share.

"It should help you, kid!" said Hilda.

"Thank you." said Touya, begrudgingly, as he left.

\----

Touya decided to give the Experience Share to Prima. Neither she nor Ruff were getting a lot of experience despite being his first two catches, so he felt as though at least one of them needed to go up in level while he was grinding.

Sir Hiss, Prima and Irwin were currently out as Touya did some further battling, this time against a Gothita. Touya hadn't seen one of those in a while, and had never caught one, so he figured it would be a good idea to try catching it.

"Prima, use Crunch!"

Prima ran at the Gothita and bit into his arm, hard. The Gothita let out a squeak and Touya commanded Irwin to use Assurance.

After several slaps from Irwin, the Gothita was weak enough for capture with a Heal Ball.

_Gothita_  
_Dandy_  
_Calm Nature_  
_Route 16_  
_Met at Level 19_  
_Likes to Relax_

"Great job, you guys," said Touya smiling, as Dandy was transported to the PC, "you'll all be going up in levels in no time!"

The group continued on, challenging trainers and training the team up.

"Darumaka!" shouted the dancer who challenged Touya, "use Fire Punch!"

"Dig underground, Irwin!" called out Touya as the Darumaka jumped up and tried to hit Irwin with a fire covered fist. The little crocodilian did what he was told, burrowing under the ground and sneaking along underneath as the Darumaka looked around in confusion. Just as the Darumaka was wondering where its opponent had gone, Irwin burst out from the ground with a grin, smacking the Darumaka with his tail. The dancer smiled and returned his fiery little ape back to its Pokeball.

"You did a good job, kid!" he said, grinning.

"Thanks sir." said Touya.

"Touya's super talented!" said Juliet happily.

Suddenly, a loud, peppy ringtone blared from Touya's XTransceiver and he looked down. Hilda's face was on it.

"Woah," said the dancer, "is that Hilda Black? You know Hilda Black?"

"Nope, I don't, must be a wrong number." said Touya, shutting off his XTransceiver without speaking to Hilda, "Let's go, Juliet, Irwin."

Irwin proved to be pretty tough, loyal toward Touya and friendly for a Dark-type. He got along with Sir Hiss, the two battling side by side and seemingly bonding together by communicating in some way when not battling (did it have something to do with them both being reptiles?). Juliet certainly liked to play with Prima when the Pokemon wasn't battling, often by dangling something on a string in front of her, like a cat. Touya had to admit, he found that all very cute, it almost made him forget about Elesa or Hilda.

\----

"Irwin, use Mud Slap!"

Irwin hit the Trubbish with a bunch of mud from the ground, causing the Trubbish to let out a shocked squeak.

"Okay, now Dig!"

Irwin burrowed underneath the ground, grinning smarmily to himself. The Trubbish attempted to perform a double slap with her tentacles but she couldn't find her opponent. She was promptly attacked by Irwin, who managed to weaken her enough that capture should be easy.

"Pokeball go!"

The Trubbish was swiftly caught and transferred to the PC system.

_Trubbish_  
_Scrappy_  
_Naive Nature_  
_Route 16_  
_Met at Level 19_  
_Mischievous_

"Hey, Touya!" called out Juliet, emerging from the tall grass, "I caught a Minccino!"

"Cool," said Touya, "I caught one too, and I just caught a Trubbish too! I named them Squirelly and Scrappy."

"Cute names!" said Juliet, "You wanna spar with me? It should help you go up in levels!"

"Certainly!" said Touya, sending Irwin out, "Now let's go, Irwin Mud Slap!"

"Minccino, use Swift!"

After the sparring session, Prima's Experience Share had finally managed to pay off. The markings on her fur and around her eyes, started glowing and shimmering extremely brightly, surrounding her entire body as her body started to grow in size, elongate and stiffen somewhat...Touya, Juliet and Irwin all shielded their eyes as Prima's flashing lights brightened, only to slowly fade back down. Standing in front of them was no longer a Patrat, but a tall and sleek Watchog. Touya pumped a fist in the air and cheered before hugging his Pokemon tightly and proudly.

"You've grown up, Prima, congrats!"

"Skreet!" said Prima, cheerfully.

\----

"You want my help now, Touya?" asked Hilda, calling Touya on his XTranceiver as he returned to Nimbasa City, much to his dismay.

"No," said Touya, "I'm here to take a break. I'm heading back to the hotel now."

"Okay, then," said Hilda, "when you change your mind-"

"If." said Touya.

"WHEN you change your mind," continued Hilda, ignoring him, "you know where to find me!"

Touya shut off the XTranceiver in disgust. Juliet chuckled.

"Touya," she asked, "do you hate your sister?"

"I never said that," said Touya, "but yes, I do."

"Why do you hate her, anyway?"

"Because she's so...perfect! She won all eight badges, she's in the Hall of Fame, everyone loves her, she caught a legendary Pokemon...it drives me insane! Like, you don't know how it feels, to have an older sibling who's so perfect and successful and who everyone loves and who everyone expects you to be like! Ugh, I dunno...it just really drives me insane..."

"I guess you're right," said Juliet, "I don't know how that feels."

"I'm gonna go lie down for a bit, Juliet, you can come in and wait for Bianca if you like."

"Okay," said Juliet, as she and Touya entered the hotel room, wherein Cheren was sitting on his bed, looking at a laptop.

"Hey Cheren," said Touya.

"Hey Touya, hey Juliet!" said Cheren, "How was level grinding?"

"Tough." said Touya, flopping onto the bed and shrugging off his blue jacket in an effort to cool off, revealing a black tee shirt underneath, "But my Patrat evolved, so there's that!"

"Cool," said Cheren, "is she the one you're trying to level up?"

"No, it's Irwin, my Sandile. I just feel like Prima deserved the levels. I'm gonna try to get Irwin to evolve to battle Elesa next."

"Good idea," said Cheren.

"I caught a Minccino!" said Juliet.

"Neat," said Cheren, smiling, "our professor has one of those too!"

"They're pretty common," said Juliet, smiling, "but they're really cute!"

"So, Touya," said Cheren, "Bianca told me that she tried to get you reacquainted with your sister. She's also kind of kicking herself for it."

"Yeah, it wasn't her fault. Bianca had good intentions, but there's really nothing that can make me like Hilda."

And speak of the devil, Hilda's ringtone blared on Touya's Transceiver again.

"Aren't you gonna pick that up?" asked Cheren.

"No. Not now."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Just to clarify why Hilda has Victini, it's considered canon that Victini was captured on Liberty Island (as it is absent from said island in the sequel), but because that was an exclusive event, I wasn't able to capture it myself. So I had Hilda be the one who catches it instead! Clever huh?  
> I thought about giving her Thundurus and Keldeo too, but then I was like "nah, one legendary's enough to show off how awesome she's supposed to be", not to mention she was in danger of looking lie a huge Mary Sue. Plus, Victini, the Victory Pokemon, seemed like a perfect fit for someone in such a position.


	19. Character Profiles - Team Touya

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The Nimbasa Arc has proved to be harder to write than I thought. This, coupled with the fact that I've been busy hunting for Aerodactyls in Pokemon Go, makes me think that the next chapter will take a while to finish. To tide you all over, here's a nice little character profile for Touya and his current team. Enjoy!

**Name:** Touya H██████ Black  
**Age:** 16  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Kantonese/Unovan  
**Eye Color:** Brown  
**Hair Color:** Brown  
**Birthplace:** Nuvema Town  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Occupation:** Student of Professor Juniper, Pokemon trainer  
**Relationships:** Akiko Black (mother), Angus Black (father), Hilda Black (sister), Bianca Blanchard (friend), Cheren Noir (friend), Preschooler Juliet (friend), Professor Juniper (mentor), N Harmonia ( ~~friend~~ ~~rival~~ ~~enemy~~ ?????)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Sir Hiss (Servine), Prima (Watchog), Ruff (Lillipup), Sea Monkey (Simipour), Breezy (Tranquill), Screech (Archen)  
**Goal:** To complete the Unova Pokedex

 **Name:** Sir Hiss  
**Species:** Serperior  
**Growth Stage:** Servine  
**Level:** 22  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Relaxed  
**Characteristic:** Proud of his power  
**Ability:** Overgrow  
**Hidden Ability:** Contrary  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Professor Juniper (former caretaker), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend), Bubbles (friend), Abner (friend), N Harmonia (enemy)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Leaf Tornado, Vine Whip, Leech Seed, Wrap  
**Goal:** To get stronger

 **Name:** Prima  
**Species:** Watchog  
**Growth Stage:** Watchog  
**Level:** 20  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Gentle  
**Characteristic:** Proud of her power  
**Ability:** Keen Eye  
**Hidden Ability:** Analytic  
**Birthplace:** Route 1  
**Hometown:** Route 1  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Ruff (brother), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Cut, Crunch, Hypnosis, Bite  
**Goal:** To protect her brother

 **Name:** Ruff  
**Species:** Stoutland  
**Growth Stage:** Lillipup  
**Level:** 12  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Naive  
**Characteristic:** Likes to thrash about  
**Ability:** Vital Spirit  
**Hidden Ability:** Run Away  
**Birthplace:** Route 1  
**Hometown:** Route 1  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (sister), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Odor Sleuth, Bite, Tackle, Helping Hand  
**Goal:** To enjoy himself

 **Name:** Sea Monkey  
**Species:** Simipour  
**Growth Stage:** Simipour  
**Level:** 16  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Jolly  
**Characteristic:** Quick tempered  
**Ability:** Gluttony  
**Hidden Ability:** Torrent  
**Birthplace:** Breeder House  
**Hometown:** Striaton City  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Cyrus (cousin), Frying Pan (cousin), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Water Gun, Scratch, Fury Swipes, Bite  
**Goal:** To have fun

 **Name:** Breezy  
**Species:** Unfezant  
**Growth Stage:** Tranquill  
**Level:** 25  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Gentle  
**Characteristic:** Likes to run  
**Ability:** Super Luck  
**Hidden Ability:** Rivalry  
**Birthplace:** Route 3  
**Hometown:** Route 3  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Quick Attack, Roost, Air Cutter, Air Slash  
**Goal:** To find a mate

 **Name:** Screech  
**Species:** Archeops  
**Growth Stage:** Archen  
**Level:** 26  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Brave  
**Characteristic:** Sturdy Body  
**Ability:** Defeatist  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Ancient Power, Agility, Pluck, Rock Smash  
**Goal:** None, yet


	20. The Bolt Badge part 1

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I was going to wait until all the other chapters were up on DA. However, I decided I've kept you waiting long enough! So here's the next chapter and dear god was it a hard one @_@
> 
> Don't worry folks, we're almost done with Nimbasa and I promise no more Gym Leaders will be this tough!
> 
> This one also includes a brief scene between N and Sage Rood.
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

N sat in the Team Plasma hideout, looking through a file irritably. There was simply no way...a member of Team Plasma couldn't possibly have killed a Pokemon, could they?

Sure enough, he saw no records of such a ludicrous claim. He had been checking through as many files as he could, and no mission briefing for any of the grunts mentioned a Pokemon dying at the hands of a Plasma member. It was usually caused by the trainer themself or by some external occurrence. N shook his head. He just couldn't believe that Touya's Blitzle had been killed by one of his own teammates.

"Penny for your thoughts, N?"

N turned around to see Sage Rood, looking at him with his usual, grandfatherly smile.

"Hello, Sage Rood, sir," said N, "I'm just trying to find out if there are any records of Pokemon being killed by members of Team Plasma."

"What?"

"It's a ridiculous claim, I know," said N, "but Touya told me it happened. I don't want to believe anyone would lie about a Pokemon being killed in cold blood, but I simply cannot accept the idea that it was a Team Plasma member. It goes against everything we believe in!"

"Hmmm," said Rood, calmly, "well, N, you know that humans can't be controlled. Sometimes they don't listen to authority."

"Yes, and I'd expect that from humans, but Team Plasma grunts should know better. They took a solemn oath to protect and liberate Pokemon and never harm them."

Rood nodded thoughtfully and said, "Did Touya tell you _which_ grunts killed the Pokemon?"

"He told me it was the group that we sent to the Nacrene City Museum. I didn't recall their names until I looked at the files--Mara Euphony, Petr Smirnov and Amon Hanover." 

"Hmm...I heard no reports of any of them killing a Pokemon...are you sure Touya isn't lying?"

"I'm certain of it. Misguided though he is, I don't imagine Touya would ever lie about the death of one of his Pokemon."

"Well, then," said Rood, "perhaps I should speak to the sage who assigned them to that mission. Gorm may have some answers about this."

"Good idea, Rood. I must say, part of me hopes Touya may be lying."

"Why's that?"

"Because the idea that someone within our own ranks would do something so awful is too difficult to bear."

"Well don't worry about it N. I'll get to the bottom of this, and if any of the grunts are guilty, I'll see to it that they are terminated as soon as possible."

"Thank you, sir."

"You're welcome. And N?" 

"Yes, sir?"

"You don't have to call me sir."

"...Right."

\----

Touya had given the Experience Share to Irwin, hoping that soon he could get him to become a Krokorok before battling Elesa again. He knew that at that level, Irwin would have an edge against all of Elesa's Pokemon, as they were only level 25 to 27, while Irwin would evolve at level 29. Juliet had decided to go sight seeing with Bianca some more, leaving Touya to level grind Irwin alone. Cheren was battling at the Battle Subway again.

And Hilda? She was still pestering him to train with her. And he still didn't want to hear her.

Fortunately, Irwin had already gone up in levels thanks to the Experience Share. Having just reached level 28 after defeating a wild Yamask in Route 4. At this rate, Touya wouldn't need the help from his sister in order to take on Elesa again.

"Zipper," called out a backpacker with a Blitzle whom Touya encountered in Route 4, "use Flame Charge!"

"Irwin," called out Touya, "use Dig!"

Irwin had burrowed underground just as his opponent charged at him, wreathed in flame. The Blitzle looked around, trying to find a sign of the sand croc as he swam beneath the loose sand and waited to strike. Before he could counter the attack, the Blitzle was hit with a sudden attack by Irwin, who burst out of the sand and punched him, hard. The backpacker returned his Blitzle to his Pokeball and smiled.

"Congrats, kid! Your Sandile's pretty good!"

"Thanks," said Touya, turning to Irwin, who suddenly let out a growl and crawled into the ground, "hey, is he doing what I think he's doing?"

"I think he is!" said the backpacker.

The lump of sand created by the buried Irwin was slowly growing in length and size, and soon enough a pair of dark eyes were poking out from beneath the sand. Eventually, Irwin burst back out, now a tall and powerful Krokorok, shaking the sand off of his scales. Touya's face lit up at this.

"Yes! Finally!" he said, tossing a berry to Irwin, who snapped it up in his long jaws, "Now let's go, Elesa won't know what hit her!"

"You're goin' after Elesa?" asked the backpacker, "I heard she likes to make coats, handbags and feather boas from Pokemon she's defeated!"

"Oh come on, that's just completely ridiculous! C'mon Irwin."

\----

"Hey Touya!" said Bianca as Touya returned to Nimbasa City, "You back from grinding?"

"Yep," said Touya, smiling and dusting the sand off his clothes, "I've just evolved Irwin to a Krokorok, so now I'm gonna take a shower and go to challenge Elesa again!"

"Great!" said Bianca, smiling, "Juliet and I will be in the audience to cheer you on!"

"I appreciate that! Where is Juliet anyway?"

"She's back at our room. She was exhausted from all our sightseeing."

"Well okay then," said Touya, smiling, "I'll see you at the gym!"

"See you!"

\----

Touya entered his and Cheren's room to find Cheren lying on the bed, gripping his stomach in pain.

"Hey, Touya..."

"Hey Cheren, what happened to you?"

"Bianca happened, that's what!"

"Ah," said Touya, grinning, "she made good on her promise to stuff your face, didn't she?"

"She promised that?"

"After you left to battle Elesa. She said she'd make you eat until your belt buckle broke. Though she also said it would be AFTER you came back from battling Elesa."

"Yeah, that doesn't surprise me," said Cheren, sighing, "she's such a mom..."

"Yeah, but to you she's more like a wi-"

Touya didn't have time to finish his sentence, as he swiftly had to dodge a pillow thrown at him by a furiously blushing Cheren. Chuckling, Touya shrugged off his jacket and said, "Well, I'm gonna take a shower to get all this sand off me, and then I'm gonna face Elesa again."

"Good luck," said Cheren, "You're gonna need it."

"I know."

\----

"Hey Touya!" said a voice as Touya headed to the gym.

"What do you want, Hilda?" grumbled Touya.

"I was just coming over to say hi to my good friend Elesa, what else?"

"Did Bianca tell you I was coming to challenge Elesa?"

"Okay, yes," admitted Hilda, "I figured you'd need my help. I know from experience how to deal with her!"

"What makes you think I _want_ your help, Hilda?"

"Because I'm one of Unova's best trainers, duh!"

Touya stared at her, unimpressed.

"Yeah, no. I don't need your help, Hilda. I'll do it myself."

"Okay, fine," said Hilda, smirking, "but when you lose again, I'll be waiting to help you out!"

Touya ignored her and walked into the gym, ready to battle Elesa.

\----

"So, you've returned to fight me again have you?" asked Elesa, sneering again.

"Yes," said Touya, seriously, "and I'm ready for you this time! Go, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss burst out of the Pokeball, glaring up at Elesa.

"You're making a big mistake!" said Elesa, "Go Allen!"

The male Emolga hovered over Sir Hiss, sparks flying from his cheeks, a look of anger on his face.

"Sir Hiss, use Leech Seed!"

Sir Hiss sent a seed flying at the Emolga, one that burrowed into the squirrel's skin.

"Allen, use Quick Attack!"

The Emolga swooped down, hitting Sir Hiss point blank with blinding speed. Touya observed that Elesa didn't use Volt Switch this time around, despite it being useful in this situation...something must have been up...

The Emolga's energy was swiftly drained by the Leech Seed, which went on to transfer that energy back to Sir Hiss. Sir Hiss gave a smug grin which was promptly mirrored by Touya as he called out "Now use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss sent a rush of leaves after the rodent, hitting it point blank and reducing its health down significantly. Touya let out a cheer, realizing that he was seconds away from fainting this little flying monster, eliminating one obstacle from this battle and putting him one step closer to winning...

And then, Elesa said "Hyper Potion," and sprayed her Emolga with a Hyper Potion.

"WHAT!?" shouted Touya in horror.

"SSSS!?" Sir Hiss shouted, mirroring his trainer almost perfectly.

"You don't get to be a Gym Leader without learning to spam some of these!" said Elesa with an evil little grin.

"How many of those do you have?" scowled Touya.

"As far as you and the League know, I have two. Now, Allen, use Volt Switch!"

Touya gritted his teeth as the Emolga electrocuted Sir Hiss before returning to his trainer, swapping out for the other one. She could have done that from the get go to get rid of the Leech Seed. She was toying with him the whole time.

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado again!"

Touya knew that the Emolga had the Static ability that would paralyze Sir Hiss on contact. If he just spammed special attacks, he should be fine...

"Riliane, dodge it and use Aerial Ace!"

The Emolga swiftly accelerated toward Sir Hiss and swiped at him twice with her claws. Sir Hiss was hurt, but not to the point of fainting just yet.

"Sir Hiss, don't be discouraged by this, hit her with another Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss sent out a second vortex of foliage, this time hitting the gliding mammal effectively. But perhaps not effectively enough.

"Riliane, hit him with a Quick Attack!"

"Sir Hiss, use Vine Whip and then Wrap!"

The Emolga hit Sir Hiss, quickly and hard, before Sir Hiss sent out a vine and coiled it around her. She squirmed in his grip, screeching and struggling to get free. All of her struggles only made the wrap more painful and depleted her health a fair amount. Touya was sure that he'd be able to faint her this time, without Elesa impeding his victory...

"Hyper potion, Riliane use Volt Switch."

...crap.

The Emolga's health was restored and she bit Sir Hiss' vine, causing him to shriek in pain. She promptly swooped down, electrocuted him and switched out for the Zebstrika.

"Gallerian, use Flame Charge."

"SIR HISS, RETURN!"

Touya returned Sir Hiss to his Pokeball just in time, as the Zebstrika charged into his direction wreathed in flame. Touya sent Irwin out in his place.

"Gallerian," said Elesa, "use Quick Attack."

"Irwin," he said, "use Dig!"

Irwin dug underground, just barely avoiding the Zebstrika's attack. As the equine looked around for some sign of its opponent, Irwin burst out from underneath him and hit him hard. The crocodilian grinned evilly as the Zebstrika turned to glare at him.

"YES!" said Touya, "We're winning! We're winning! We're-"

"Hyper potion, Gallerian use Volt Tackle."

"Crap!" shouted Touya as Irwin was hit and the Zebstrika was replaced with one of the Emolgas, "Alright, Irwin use Assurance! It can't get any worse, can it?"

Upon making contact with the Emolga, Irwin was paralyzed.

"...It just got worse..."

\----

Touya healed Irwin and Sir Hiss at the Pokemon Center and left to take a lunch break at the park. Sir Hiss had been draped over his shoulders, grumbling to himself, while Irwin wrestled with Prima on the ground, losing pretty badly. Ruff was watching with a smile, and Touya couldn't help but feel bad for the fact that he was still a Lillipup. He would have to level him up more. Breezy and Sea Monkey both leaped onto the branches of the trees, chasing each other playfully. Touya sighed as he bit into his sandwich, wondering how he was going to deal with Elesa, whether he could come up with a strategy against her.

"Hey, Touya!"

Oh great, it was Hilda.

"What do you want, Hilda?" scowled Touya for seemingly the fifth time that day.

"I'm just wondering...are you having trouble dealing with Elesa?"

"Yes." Touya reluctantly admitted.

"Okay, then," said Hilda, "so it seems you need my help after all!"

"No, I don't."

"Yeah, you do."

"No, I don't. My team is doing just fine."

"Is that why your Lillipup hasn't evolved yet?"

Touya scowled at Hilda and Ruff looked up from a bowl of kibble.

"Shut up, Hilda. I don't need your help and I don't need you! C'mon, team, let's go fight Elesa again. We're going to get the badge this time."

\----

"Touya is unable to battle! Elesa wins!"

...

"Touya is unable to battle! Elesa wins!"

...

"Touya is unable to battle! Elesa wins!"

For the fourth time, Touya left the gym, grumbling angrily to himself as he headed to the Pokemon Center, healing up his Pokemon again. After leaving he headed to the park and buried his face in his hands, frustrated beyond belief.

"Heeeey, Touya." a voice that Touya instantly recognized as Hilda's said.

"Shut up Hilda." said Touya irritably. 

"Aww, don't be like that baby brother! I just want to help you with your battles against Elesa. She's tough to beat, I know. Do you want me to help you beat her?"

Touya looked at Sir Hiss, who nodded as Touya heaved a heavy sigh.

"Okay, Hilda," he said, "I hate to admit it, and I mean I REALLY hate to say it...but...yes. I need your help."

"Excellent!" said Hilda, smiling, "Now let's get started--first, let me check your Pokemon's levels. Any underleveled Pokemon need some grinding. I'm looking at that Lillipup of yours, as well as your Simipour."

"They're not gonna be battling Elesa though..."

"They're still underleveled compared to the rest of your team, now come on! We've got work to do!"

Touya sighed...it was gonna be a long day.

To be continued...


	21. The Bolt Badge part 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm so sorry this was so late! This chapter proved to be a lot harder to finish. Adding Hilda to it helped, though.  
> Hopefully no more Gym battles will be this long.

"Gorm, can I speak to you for a moment?"

Gorm turned to look at Rood, who had approached him in his office.

"What is it, Rood?"

"I wish to ask you about something that has been troubling Lord N. Has the team of grunts you sent to the Nacrene City Museum done anything against the rules?"

Gorm froze in response to that question. _"Did someone tell him?"_

"Not that I know of, no." Gorm said, nervously.

"Hmm," said Rood, suspicious, "the team in question--did they encounter one of those troublesome kids we've been dealing with? Perhaps the one that Lord N has displayed an interest in?"

"You mean the boy who's suspected of being...?"

"Yes. Him. He goes by Touya, if I'm not mistaken."

"Well, yes, they did encounter him. Who were the ones in that team again?"

"Elite Grunt Amon Hanover led the charge. Mara Euphony and Petr Smirnov were assisting him. Lord N has concerns that one of them might have killed a Pokemon based on Touya's report."

Gorm gulped. Bingo.

"You...you should ask the team members themselves! They were there, they'll remember."

Rood watched him for a moment, then said "Okay then. I will ask them. Hopefully I will be able to get to the bottom of this."

\----

Hilda stood in front of Touya, a small rabbit-like Pokemon Touya recognized as Victini perched on her shoulder. Touya glared at it enviously. There was only one known Victini in existence and sure enough Hilda had it. That was one dex entry Touya would likely not have been filling anytime soon. The Victini, fittingly enough, mimicked his master's movements, crossing his arms as Hilda crossed hers, floating off her shoulders and putting his paws on his hips when she put her hands on hers, and so on. Hilda stood up tall and said "Send out your Pokemon!"

Touya let out his team before Hilda, all lined up like a military roster. Sir Hiss was first, looking bored and annoyed. Prima second, standing tall and proud. Ruff was third, looking up at his sister and how much bigger she was now. Sea Monkey was fourth, not paying much attention. Breezy was fifth, preening his feathers. And finally, Irwin stood there, grinning maniacally.

"Irwin is a temporary member. His slot will be filled by the Archen I resurrected in Nacrene City after he defeats Elesa."

"Hmm," said Hilda, looking over Sir Hiss first, "well, your starter is certainly healthy."

"Thank you." said Touya as Sir Hiss beamed with pride.

"That's not a compliment."

"What?" Touya responded, incredulously while Sir Hiss blanched in response as well. Victini giggled with derision, prompting an annoyed reaction from Sir Hiss, who swiped at him with his tail.

"You're favoring him," said Hilda, sounding uncharacteristically serious, "you shouldn't play favorites with your Pokemon, even if he is your starter. You've neglected the training of some of your other Pokemon in favor of training him. Look at your Lillipup--he should have evolved by now. Why isn't he a Herdier yet?"

"Well I-"

"And you evolved your Simipour too early, so there are a lot of good moves that she could have learned that she won't be able to now! Luckily for you, I have some TMs to spare, but those can only do so much. Do you want to go up to the Elite Four with your starter as the strongest member of your team while the rest are all left in the dust?"

"Of course not, but-"

"Then you'll have to use this training session to train up your underleveled Pokemon. The Lillipup, Watchog and Simipour all have catching up to do. I suggest you do the same with that Archen when you bring him back."

"I thought we'd be focusing more on Irwin. He's the one who's gonna fight Elesa."

"Yes, but remember that Elesa fights dirty," Hilda pointed out, "those little flying demons of hers constantly switch out and can paralyze your Pokemon through physical contact alone, while her Zebstrika has that Fire-type move. Your Krokorock and Tranquill are fine, as is your starter, but the rest need to go up some levels. Who is your highest level Pokemon at the moment?"

"My Archen, he was revived at level 26."

"Then we'll get the rest of your team up to level 26 to keep up, and that will probably take a long time for your Lillipup and Simipour."

"Do they have to be level 26? Surely I can afford for them to be slightly behind?"

"Hmm...alright, I see your point. We'll be here all week if that's the case. We'll train the two lowest level members up to twenty, how about that?"

"That works."

"Good! Now let the training begin!"

"Where will this training take place? The Battle Subway?"

"Nope! You won't be getting any levels there! Instead, you'll be battling ME! Me and me alone!"

She grinned confidently as Victini hovered up to her, giggling evilly and rubbing his front paws together.

"Oh crud..."

\----

"Checkmate, Petr!" said Mara, grinning as she captured the Nidoking piece on Petr's chess set.

"WHAAT!?" screeched Petr in disbelief, his disbelief mimicked by his Patrat sitting on his lap, "Best five outta ten!"

"I beat you three times, Petr! Get over it!"

"No way," scowled Petr, stacking all the pieces back up while his Patrat crossed its arms and nodded, "I'm in it to win it!"

"Ugh, fine."

"Excuse me, I hope I'm not interrupting anything."

Mara and Petr both yelped and saluted Sage Rood nervously, as Patrat jumped onto Petr's shoulder.

"Hello, Sage Rood!" they both said.

"At ease, both of you," said Rood with a smile, "I'm just here to ask you two about your assignment in Nacrene City, and I hope to speak to Miss Euphony specifically about it."

Mara looked nervous but then nodded.

"Now I was wondering if you were aware of any rule breaking being done during that mission?"

"No," said Mara, nervously.

"Not at all," said Petr, gripping his Patrat tightly.

"Are you sure," asked Rood, well aware that both of them were lying, "because I'm only asking on behalf of the king."

"L-Lord N?" asked Mara, her cheeks flushing a deep pink at the mention. Rood knew about the girl's infatuation with N, and so he knew he could coax the truth out of her specifically by taking full advantage of it.

"Yes," Rood went on, "it seems there was a trainer who was quite adamant that someone in your group killed one of his Pokemon. If the two of you are innocent, and I'm sure you are, then you won't get in trouble. I just wish to know who did it, if at all."

Mara bit her lip, looking afraid and hesitant, while Petr tensed up and hugged his Patrat tighter.

"You...you promise we won't get in trouble?" asked Mara.

"Yes," said Rood.

"Well...okay," said Mara, calming down a bit, "it was H-"

"AN ACCIDENT!" shouted Petr.

Both Rood and Mara looked at Petr in alarm, though there was definitely anger in Mara's eyes.

"An accident?" asked Rood.

"Y-Yeah," said Petr, "the Pokemon was hit by an attack that was a little too strong. We...we didn't mean to do it. We're very sorry and will take whatever punishment you ask."

Rood blinked and Mara glared. But after a while, Rood simply clapped his hands together and said, "Well, that's good enough for me, I suppose. I'll inform Lord N of the situation. Neither of you will receive punishment for what occurred. Keep up the good work you two, that will be all."

"Yes sir." said the two grunts as Rood left. As soon as she was sure he was gone, Mara punched Petr in the gut, causing him to let go of his Patrat with a loud "Oof!"

"Why did you lie to him!?"

"You know what the Sages do to grunts who break the rules!"

"No, I don't! No one does!"

"Oh, right. Well, I don't wanna take any chances! If he found out it was Hanover, he'd hold us as accountable as him!"

"You're such a wuss, Petr! If Hanover got caught he'd be punished, not us! AND he'd deserve it for disobeying Lord N!"

"But how would you know that if no one knows how grunts get punished?"

Mara was about to counter that but found that he had a point. Grumbling, she simply sat back down and said "Well, there's nothing we can do anyway. Let's get back to the game and try to forget about it, okay?"

"Okay."

Petr sat back down and started setting up the chess pieces again.

\----

"Emolga, use Acrobatics!"

"Ruff, use Bite!"

Hilda's Emolga swooped down at Ruff at a blinding speed and struck him with considerable force. Ruff barked and ran at the hovering squirrel, leaping at it and biting it with his fierce teeth. 

"Alright, Emolga, hit him with a Volt Switch!"

The Emolga sped downward, zig-zagging in the air for a few moments before hitting Ruff and dealing damage, then switching out for the Zebstrika Hilda used as a stand-in for Elesa's. Touya nodded in response and commanded Ruff to come back for a moment, spraying him with a hyper potion that Hilda had given him. 

"Sea Monkey, you help out!"

Sea Monkey giggled and jumped into the fray, the Zebstrika glaring at her.

"Sea Monkey, use Protect!"

Sea Monkey projected a bubble from her mouth, acting as a shield for her and Ruff; Hilda had given Touya several TMs, and Protect was one of them. He figured it'd be a good idea for Sea Monkey to be the one to test it out. It dealt no damage, but it at least protected the team.

"Zebstrika, use Flame Charge!"

Zebstrika did exactly that and hit the bubble, failing to affect the two and bouncing off of it.

"You're definitely learning, Touya! But remember, the Protect won't hold forever!"

Sure enough, the bubble dissipated shortly after. Touya called both of them back and sent in Prima. Remembering a strategy Lenora used, Touya called out "Use Hypnosis, Prima!"

Just as the Zebstrika was about to attack again Prima's markings started to flash multiple colors, sending him into a hypnotic trance. He stared for a moment before falling into a deep sleep. 

"Alright now, Ruff, you take over from here! Hit him with Take Down!"

Ruff ran at the sleeping equine and hit him hard, suffering from a bit of recoil damage in the process. Hilda clapped her hands with a smile.

"Good! Your Lillipup is doing well! Well enough, in fact, that I think he may be ready to evolve!"

"How do you know?"

"Look."

Touya looked at Ruff, who began running in a circle, chasing his tail. He ran faster and faster and faster and faster until he was black and brown blurry ring, spinning in a circle and barking. After a moment, he slowed down and stopped running. When he finally stopped, he was bigger and had a long black "cape" of fur along his back. The ruffled fur on his face had formed a mustache on his snout and a "trident" crown on his head, all made of light yellow fur. Ruff was now a Herdier, and Touya wanted to feel more proud...though the rigorous training didn't help him feel that way.

"Congrats, Touya!" said Hilda, slapping Touya on the back with a grin, knocking the wind out of him in the process (man she was strong), "you have almost your whole team evolved! But your Herdier and Simipour still need some levels!"

"Yes, I know," said Touya, irritated, "how much more will we have to do this?"

"Well, the Simipour is at level 18 and the Herdier is level 16, so both of them will be able to get up a little in level before you go back. I won't let you do it until they reach at least level 20!"

"Alright, then."

Touya really didn't like pushing his Pokemon so hard, but they needed the levels and it would probably be the only way to beat Elesa and her little winged demons. Besides, Sea Monkey and Ruff seemed to enjoy the training. In fact, Ruff seemed to be quite happy with his new form, while Sea Monkey seemed to like his new form too, based on the way she was feeling and sniffing his fur (she couldn't see, after all). Touya smiled. Difficult training or not, this was giving his Pokemon an excuse to bond.

"Now let's continue! Zebstrika, Volt Switch!"

\----

"Prima, use Hypnosis!"

Prima's patterns flashed multiple colors as one of Elesa's Emolgas hovered in front of her, ready to attack again. Sure enough she had swiftly fallen asleep and dropped from the sky.

"Riliane!"

"Now Prima, use Crunch!"

Prima ran at the Emolga and bit down on its body, hard. The Emolga's health didn't drop too much, but he was confident he could defeat her now. However, the Emolga's Static ability came into effect which paralyzed Prima.

"Hyper potion." said Elesa in a bored voice.

"Paralyze Heal!" said Touya in a more urgent voice, using one of the Paralyze Heals that Hilda gave him. Luckily, the sleep effect was still afflicting the Emolga.

"You're doing better this time," said Elesa, grinning maliciously, "but don't enjoy yourself too much...I _will_ crush your dreams..."

"We'll see about that," scowled Touya, "Prima, return, go Ruff, use Take Down!"

Ruff was sent out and hit the sleeping Emolga hard, taking recoil damage in the process, but fortunately _not_ being paralyzed. Unfortunately, the Emolga hadn't fainted.

"Good job Ruff, now go, Sir Hiss!"

He returned Ruff and brought out Sir Hiss.

"Hyper po-" began Elesa, before Touya interrupted.

"LEAF TORNADO!"

Sir Hiss sent a wind of leaves at the Emolga faster than Elesa could heal it, knocking it out officially. Elesa glared at Touya and returned the Pokemon before sending out a second one. Touya couldn't help but heave a sigh of relief, finally having knocked out one of Elesa's Pokemon.

"Allen, go," said Elesa, "use Aerial Ace."

The second Emolga swooped down and hit Sir Hiss fiercely, but Sir Hiss had managed to withstand the attack.

"Sir Hiss, return! Go Prima!"

Prima emerged from the Pokeball and Touya commanded her to use Hypnosis. The Emolga, however, evaded the attack and struck her with a Quick Attack.

"Prima, try it again!"

"Allen, use Volt Switch."

The Emolga was faster. He struck Prima with his electric attack and switched out with the Zebstrika. Touya scowled. He was hoping to take out the second Emolga _first_ and then deal with the Zebstrika.

"Prima, return! Go Irwin!"

Irwin burst out, grinning maliciously in the Zebstrika's direction. Elesa giggled evilly.

"You're totally gonna lose, kid."

"That's what you think..."

"Gallerian, use Volt Switch!"

"Dig, Irwin!"

Irwin buried himself underground, avoiding the Zebstrika's Volt Switch. The Zebstrika gritted his teeth and glanced around angrily. Elesa glared at Touya who finally had his turn to smirk--he had learned his lesson from last time and now the Zebstrika was in a vulnerable situation. Irwin remained underground, tunneling unseen beneath the floor of the stadium. Unable to see his opponent, the Zebstrika growled, brushing his hooves against the ground and searching desperately for his hidden foe.

Soon enough, Irwin burst out of the ground and attacked the Zebstrika with a fierce bite to the leg. 

The Zebstrika let out an angry yip and tried to wrench his hoof out of the crocodilian's jaws. Irwin grinned menacingly like only a Dark-type could and kept a tight grip on his opponent's leg with his powerful jaws. Eventually a kick from the Zebstrika prompted him to let go, but he hit the equine again with his tail, knocking it down hard.

"Hyper potion." said Elesa as she sprayed her Pokemon with the offending medicine, "Now use Quick Attack!"

The Zebstrika ran at Irwin and hit him hard. Irwin glared at him angrily. 

"Use Mud Slap, Irwin!"

Irwin spat some mud at his opponent, hitting him square in the face, covering his eyes. Disoriented and evidently kind of grossed out, the Zebstrika ran around, trying to charge at Irwin, who simply sneered, jumped out of the way and let the blinded Zebstrika charge into a nearby wall.

"Gallerian, return! Go Allen!"

"Irwin, you did well! Now go Sir Hiss!"

"Heh, you're good kid," sneered Elesa, "but not good enough. Your journey WILL end here, I won't give up until I hear you say the magic words."

"What magic words?"

"The words 'I don't want to be a Pokemon trainer anymore!' Allen, use Acrobatics!"

"Sir Hiss, dodge it!"

Sir Hiss managed to just barely dodge the nimble movement, being grazed by the squirrel's claws and teeth. 

"Use Wrap, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss extended his vines and coiled them around his foe, tightly. The Emolga screeched as Sir Hiss kept it in his coils. Elesa gritted her teeth as she watched her Pokemon squirmed in Sir Hiss' grip, losing health with each passing moment. Touya grinned to himself, wondering why he didn't try this sooner. Sir Hiss sneered as well and jumped up, tossing his foe to the ground, knocking him out.

"...Elesa is unable to battle," said the announcer, dumbfounded, "Touya wins!"

"YES!" shouted Touya, "I never thought I'd say this, but...thank you Hilda!"

"Go Touya!" called out a voice from the crowd. Touya looked up to see Bianca and Juliet sitting in the audience, cheering for him. He smiled and waved to them, Sir Hiss scrambling up to coil onto his shoulders. Elesa strutted toward Touya, grinning and handing him the badge.

"Congratulations, Touya," she said, dropping the badge in his hand, as well as handing him a TM which he knew was for Volt Switch, "I knew you could do it!"

"You did?" asked Touya, skeptical, "Then what was all that stuff about crushing my dreams?"

"What are you talking about? I always had the utmost confidence in you!"

Touya could tell from the look in her eyes and the sneering smile on her face that she was lying. Disgusted, he stuffed the badge and TM in his pocket and stormed out of the Gym, refusing to even look at Elesa as he made his way to the Pokemon Center, partly to heal his Pokemon and partly to swap Screech and Irwin out. 

If he ever saw her again it'd be too soon.

\----

When Touya returned to the hotel afterward with Sir Hiss coiled around his shoulders, he packed his things immediately. He was exhausted and didn't want to stay in this town much longer. With how long it took for him to finally beat Elesa, the extravagant city was feeling less like a glamorous vacation spot and more like a prison. He had promised Juliet that they'd do something fun before they left, but after that, he wanted to get out of there ASAP. 

He noticed that Cheren had already packed his things and left. Sir Hiss rested on Touya's shoulders, sleeping apparently, though his inability to blink or close his eyes made it hard to tell. As Touya left the room, he bumped into Bianca...literally.

"Oh, hey Bianca, hey Juliet."

"Hey Touya! You did great out there!" said Juliet.

"Yeah, wasn't easy though."

"I know," chuckled Bianca, "it was tough for me when I faced her too. But hey, we all did it!"

"And I sure learned a thing or two! So are we gonna do something fun before we go?"

"Yeah. I was thinking maybe going back to the Ferris wheel."

"Alright then. By the way, Touya, I caught a Pokemon with Bianca! It was a Solosis!"

"Cool," said Touya, "those ones are pretty rare, so you're lucky!"

"Yeah, Bianca told me! Maybe we can battle each other soon!"

"Nah," said Touya, "I'm kind of exhausted. I don't really want to battle again for a bit."

\----

On the Ferris wheel, Touya looked out the window, watching the city and the Pidoves flying outside. Sir Hiss was awake and sitting on Juliet's lap as she petted his scaly head.

"Hey Touya, you alright?"

"Yeah," said Touya, "just kind of tired. I did a lot of training with my big sister. She was a tough trainer, but I have to admit, she raised a lot of good points."

"She sounds like a good sister."

Touya groaned and said, "I still don't like her that much."

"Why not, Touya?"

"I told you, she treats me like a baby and rubs her success in everyone's faces, me included."

Juliet blinked and said, "Well, I think your lucky."

"Why?" asked Touya.

"Because you _have_ a sibling. I'm an only child."

Touya looked at her in surprise.

"I would've loved to have a big brother or sister, someone to show me the way and help me out. Even if they are overbearing and full of themselves."

Touya looked at her in surprise. 

"But you know," she added, scratching Sir Hiss' scales with a smile, "I think you could be like my big brother. You show me the way and help me out all the time! I haven't learned so much about Pokemon until I met you and Bianca and Cheren! You guys are about the closest things to a big brother or sister I've ever had!"

Touya smiled at how heartfelt and innocent she was about this.

"Thank you, Juliet. That means a lot to me."

"You're welcome! You still not wanna do that battle?"

"Yeah. Like I said, I'm exhausted. I don't feel like battling anymore today."

\----

"TOUYA! BATTLE ME!"

Touya facepalmed and Juliet laughed. They had met Cheren at the Driftveil Drawbridge, and Cheren already started begging Touya to battle with him.

"Cheren, I'm exhausted," said Touya, irritably, "I just want to go to the next town and rest for a bit before I battle someone else!"

"Pleeeease, Touya? I wanna prove how strong I'm getting! Please please please please plea-"

"ALRIGHT! But it's gonna be a one-on-one! End of discussion."

"YES! Thanks Touya! Go, Abner!"

A Pignite burst out of Cheren's Pokeball.

"Go Sea Monkey, use Water Gun."

The battle ended swiftly, as Sea Monkey drenched Abner with water. Cheren gawked in horror as he realized that he had lost.

"Touya...why can't I beat you?"

"Who said you can't?" asked Touya.

"You're always doing better than me! What's your secret? What do you do differently?"

"I just lucked into winning. Isn't that how it always was? Besides, I know you and your strategies. I knew you would choose your starter assuming I'd use mine and so I used the Pokemon that has an advantage against yours instead. Look, Cheren, why would you focus on what _I'm_ doing when you could instead talk about your own choices? What do you do differently?"

"Well...I train a lot, I train really hard. And I strategize. That's part of why I chose Tepig," he added, petting Abner who smiled and twitched his ears, "a lot of people don't realize that pigs are really smart and easy to train. Abner can strategize as much as I can."

"That's good," said Touya, as Sea Monkey returned to his side, chirping as Touya petted her head.

"Hey baby brother!"

"Ugh..." groaned Touya.

"Hilda?" asked Cheren looking aside from Touya, seeming quite excited.

"Hey Aaron!"

"His name's Cheren," said Touya.

"But you can call me Aaron if you like!"

"Yeah, yeah, whatever. So Bianca told me that you finally beat Elesa, Touya! Congratulations! Of course, you'd never have done it without me!"

"Yeah, thanks. Now when will the drawbridge be opened?"

"A friend and I have to get Clay to open it. But this friend will easily persuade him!"

"Who's your friend?" asked Juliet.

"Hello, Hilda!"

Touya, Cheren, Juliet and Hilda all looked up to see a giant, fiery colored moth flying overhead, with a man riding on its back. The moth landed and the man stepped down. He appeared to be in his fifties, with spiky, messy red hair that matched the wings of his moth and messy beige clothing. He had dark skin, stubble and his six Pokeballs were hanging off of a belt draped over his shoulders. He was tall, nearly six feet not counting his hair. He was instantly recognizable to Touya and Cheren - he was Alder Gray, the Unova League champion. Famed throughout Unova as its leader, everyone admired, loved and idolized him for his strength and power.

But none admired him more than Cheren. Cheren was his self-proclaimed "biggest fan", and this title was far from dubious. He had all sorts of merchandise related to him, knew almost everything about him, watched all of his matches on TV whenever they were televised and generally strove to be just like him.

"Hey there, Alder!" said Hilda, smiling as she shook his hand.

"Man Hilda, I had no idea you were friends with the Champion!" said Touya, genuinely impressed this time.

"Ah, you must be Hilda's little brother! I've heard a lot about you!"

"Really?"

"Yeah, like when you cried for hours when your parents first took you to Santa's village because one of his elves was actually a Jynx!"

Touya glared at Hilda, who giggled cheerfully.

"Hey, Cheren, you've been strangely quiet," said Touya, "how does it feel to meet your idol?"

Touya got no response. Cheren was just staring, starry-eyed at Alder.

"You're...the...the champion..." he said, awestruck.

"Why yes, I am!" said Alder, smiling as his Volcarona hovered next to him, "And you are?"

"I forget..."

"His name is Cheren Noire," said Touya.

"What he said," said Cheren, still starstruck.

"My name's Touya Black," said Touya smiling, "I'm traveling to complete my Pokedex!"

"Hm. Traveling with a goal in mind is a commendable thing!" said Alder, jovially, "And what is your goal, Cheren?"

"My goal is to become Champion!" said Cheren, excitedly, "I've been battling all the Gym Leaders to get to the Pokemon League!"

"Great! I bet you'll be a great Champion! So what do you intend to do after that?"

"...What else is there? I just wanna get stronger!"

To Cheren's surprise, Alder frowned. He wasn't angry, but he didn't seem happy with Cheren's answer either. Looking at Cheren seriously, he went on with, "Get stronger you say? Is that really enough of a goal?"

Cheren's jaw dropped in response, staring in shock at his hero. 

"I'm not saying your reasoning is wrong," Alder went on, "I'm just saying you should plan for the long term. You shouldn't just assume that your journey will be over when you become Champion, because there's more to being a Pokemon Champion than just being the best! And you have to remember that there's no guarantee that you will make it to that point, so you need something to fall back on."

Cheren looked at Alder pensively as he went on.

"In my travels, I've helped many people learn to love Pokemon. I think that's important, too."

Cheren stared with consideration and then nodded.

"Well, okay then sir."

"You understand, son?"

"Not really," said Cheren, "but I'll think on it, don't worry! Um...in the meantime, will you sign my dex?"

"Of course, kiddo!"

Touya turned to see that the drawbridge was finally activating.

"Hey Cheren," said Touya, "we should get going."

"Kay," said Cheren, still distracted as Alder gave him his Pokedex back.

"Well, I better get going!" said Alder, "Horus!"

The Volcarona fluttered his wings and Alder jumped on his back, flying off into the sky.

"Isn't he awesome?" asked Cheren.

"I think Bianca has competition, Touya." said Juliet, prompting Touya and Hilda to laugh while Cheren glared at them.

"Let's go," said Touya, "see ya, Hilda!"

"Bye baby brother! Call me in the unlikely event that you beat Clay!"

Touya groaned one last time as he and his friends headed off across the bridge.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hilda misnaming Cheren as "Aaron" is a little in-joke for what I named my player character. I was going for an alphabetical theme ( **A** aron, **B** ianca and **C** heren) but decided to use one of his canon names instead.
> 
> Speaking of names, Mara and Petr's surnames are meant to have a meaning: Euphony is related to the word "harmony", alluding to Mara's love for N. The fact that she's called "Euphony" instead of "Euphonia" is meant to reflect on the fact that her love is unrequited. "Smirnov" means "meek" or "gentle" in Russian, which I think fits Petr pretty well.


	22. Driftveil City

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Sorry it's been so long. I just got a new computer, to which I have transferred some of my old files, including chapters of this story!
> 
> As those of you who follow me on Tumblr and DA know, I'm currently in Canada for my great-grandmother's funeral :'( Updates may be sporadic due to the fact that we have family stuff to deal with as a result.

"So...it was an accident?"

N was playing chess with Sage Rood in the library of Team Plasma's hideout as the two discussed what the grunts told Rood.

"That's what Petr told me," said Rood, moving a Pawniard piece forward, "the attack that hit his Blitzle was simply too strong, apparently. There was no intention to kill the Pokemon at all."

"But why?" said N with, frowning as he moved his Honchkrow piece and captured the Pawniard, "Why would Touya lie about something so serious? Especially when he's our prime candidate as the Hero of Truth?"

"How do you know he's lying?" asked Rood, moving a Bisharp piece, "Maybe he was simply mistaken."

"What do you mean?" asked N, contemplating his next move.

"Heroes are often misunderstood, N," said Rood, "especially when they go against the grain, like we do. Their opposition will naturally see them as being in the wrong and try to project malice onto them. Maybe Touya believes that we are wrong because he's been conditioned to think Pokemon training is right. Ghetsis warned you that something like that would happen."

"Hmm," said N, thoughtfully as he moved a Zebstrika piece, "that _does_ make sense. I never thought of it that way."

"Just remember the authority you have in Team Plasma, N. You are a king. You will show trainers all over the world your ideals, and soon they will change their ways, as so many members of Team Plasma did."

N smiled as he moved another Honchkrow piece forward.

"You're right," he said, still smiling, "maybe then, Touya will wise up and join us too. Oh, I believe I've gotten a checkmate here."

Rood looked down at the board to see that N's Honchkrow piece was occupying the space his Nidoking piece was originally on. He chuckled.

"Indeed you have," said Rood, with a smile.

Suddenly, someone appeared in the room, seemingly teleporting in and cloaked in darkness. It was a member of the Shadow Triad.

"Lord N," he said, "the suspected Hero of Truth is on the move again. He's crossing the drawbridge into Driftveil City."

"Duty calls, it seems," said N, frowning, "we'll need to meet up with him there soon, I suppose. I'll also have to receive the badge for that city too. I'll see you later, Rood."

"So long, N," said Rood, putting away the chess pieces, "oh and N?"

"Yes Rood?"

"You know you can talk to me about anything, right?"

N smiled.

"Of course."

\----

_Ducklett_   
_Hans_   
_Driftveil Drawbridge_   
_Careful Nature_   
_Met at level 22_   
_A little quick tempered_

"Man, there's a lot of Duckletts here, Touya!" said Juliet as the Ducklett Touya captured was sent to the PC.

"Indeed," said Touya, smiling at the new Pokedex entry, "they typically live near this area because there's a lot of water and they love to swim."

Cheren grinned as he captured his own Ducklett.

"Yeah, yeah," he said, "now let's get going! I wanna challenge Clay as soon as possible!"

"Cheren, slow down," said Touya, following Cheren and gripping Juliet's hand, "we have plenty of time, can't we just relax a little when we get there?"

"We can! Right after I get my baOOF!"

"Baoof?" asked Juliet.

Touya caught up to Cheren and saw that he had run into a large and imposing looking man. He was dressed in attire that made Touya think "classical cowboys", though it was odd as the man's facial features were distinctively Kantonese. He was an older gentlemen, seemingly somewhere in his late forties or early fifties and he had a very deep frown.

"H-Hey there, Clay!" said Cheren backing away, nervously.

"My name's Touya," said Touya, "and these are my friends Cheren and Juliet."

"Yo!" said Juliet.

"Hrmph," grunted Clay displaying a very deep, gruff, southern accent, "So yer the trainers Hilda and Alder were talkin' about, huh. I'm the Gym Leader 'round these parts. Don't be expectin' no welcome, now. 'Cause when we lowered that bridge, the Team Plasma guys we'd caught done escaped in all the ruckus!"

"What?" said Touya, looking shocked.

"Oh crap," said Cheren looking horrified, "sir, we are very very sorry for that!"

"Sorry ain't good enough, kid," said Clay sternly, "ya can say whatever ya want. But what's important is y'all showed up, and then Team Plasma escaped. Maybe it's a little heavy-handed, but you oughtta start lookin' for Team Plasma, too."

"Sir?" asked Touya, looking surprised at that statement.

"Yer both talented trainers, aren't ya?" said Clay with a grin, "Tell ya what... if ya find Team Plasma, I'll let ya challenge my Gym! Life's all about give and take!"

"Yes sir!" said Cheren, saluting.

"I suppose that's fair." said Touya, smiling.

"Let's do it!" said Juliet.

"Woah, little lady," said Clay, sternly, "ya don't seriously think _yer_ goin with 'em do ya?"

"Duh! I've been learning a lot from Touya!"

"She really has, Clay," added Touya, "and even if she hadn't, she still managed to beat me the first time we met."

"Well, alright kid. But stick close to the older kids, okay?"

"Ugh, fine."

\----

"Why are we in this freezer?"

The group was now in the Cold Storage, Driftveil's warehouse for cargo storage, searching for the Team Plasma members that had escaped. Touya was talking to the workers who witnessed them. Cheren was prepping Abner for battle. Juliet was shivering from the cold in annoyance.

"Because this is the last place they were seen," said Cheren, smirking as he and Abner both stretched, ready for a fight.

"Now what did they look like?" asked Touya.

"One of them was a man, a bit on the thin side, with red hair and blue eyes," said Eddie, the worker Touya was talking to, "and there was a woman, shorter than the man but she had a big personality. She had red hair and blue eyes too."

Touya frowned, "Could you be more specific, sir?"

"I dunno," said Eddie, "all the grunts look alike to me!"

"Did you see any sign of their personalities?"

"Hmm...OH! The man doted on his Pokemon and the woman wouldn't shut up about some guy!"

Touya's eyes widened.

"Did...did she call that 'some guy' a 'king'?"

"Yeah!"

Bingo.

"Cheren, Juliet," said Touya, "we have a lead. Did you see where they went, Eddie?"

"Yeah," said Eddie, "the last I saw of them, they were in the basement!"

\----

The group headed down into the basement, with Pokemon in tow. Sir Hiss wasn't exactly happy with the cold, being both a Grass-type and a reptile, but he was still prepped for battle, alongside Abner and Juliet's Solosis. 

"Alright, where do you think they went?" asked Cheren.

"The worker didn't give any further information," said Touya, "he just said they went into the basement."

"All of you huddle close to me," said a hushed voice, "I can't take this cold!"

"Was that them?" asked Juliet.

There was a loud crash and a "DANGIT PETR!"

"Yes." said Touya, deadpan.

The team headed over to a nearby storage unit. Sure enough, there were four grunts, Petr and Mara recognizable among them, two less familiar grunts and an older man whom Touya guessed was one of the sages.

"What is the meaning of this!?" asked the sage looking shocked and angry.

"YOU AGAIN!?" shrieked Mara when she saw him.

"Why are you two idiots always showing up in places?" asked Touya.

"Why does Lord N like you more than me!?"

"Wait, he does?" asked Touya, both alarmed and a tiny bit flattered.

"What are you goons doing here anyway?" asked Cheren, angrily.

"I'll handle this," said the sage, "my name is Zinzolin. I'm the second in command to Sage Ghetsis! I have been tasked with saving the Pokemon here and keeping them safe."

"You mean steal and use them, right?" asked Touya.

"Typical selfish trainer, projecting your own faults onto us" said Zinzolin angrily, "Pokemon are our king's friends. While we're taking care of them, we can't let any harm come to them here. Everyone, drive these intruders away!"

"You don't have to tell me twice," said Mara, smirking as Zinzolin ran off, "Liepard go!"

"Come on out Watchog!" shouted an excited Petr.

The other two grunts sent out a Sandile and a Trubbish. Touya, Cheren and Juliet all sent their own Pokemon out, Sir Hiss, Abner and Solosis.

"Solosis," shouted Juliet, "use Hidden Power!"

"Abner," called out Cheren, "use Arm Thrust!"

The Pignite hit Petr's Watchog hard while Juliet's Solosis fired a bizarre attack onto the Trubbish. Touya looked at Sir Hiss and nodded.

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss sent a torrent of leaves swirling around Mara's Liepard, cutting into its furry flesh. Liepard scowled and ran at Sir Hiss.

"Liepard! Use Fury Swipes!"

The Liepard attacked Sir Hiss with multiple fierce swipes from her claws. Sir Hiss glared at her as Touya called out "Keep going Sir Hiss, use Mega Drain!"

Sir Hiss started to glow before sapping the cat's energy and sending it to himself, healing him.

"Now, Sir Hiss! Use Wrap!"

Sir Hiss coiled his tail around the cat, tightening his coils and refusing to let go. Solosis had already managed to subdue the other grunt's Trubbish, while Abner had defeated Petr's Watchog and the other grunt's Sandile. Angered and disgusted, Mara returned her injured Liepard and said, "You just keep getting lucky, kid!"

"It's not luck," sneered Cheren, "just skill!"

Mara and Petr ran off and the other two grunts were about to do the same...but then they bumped into someone.

It was Clay, flanked by two Officer Jennys.

"Howdy," he said, darkly as the two grunts backed away in fear, "you two gals, take these Pokemon robbers away."

The Officer Jennys both handcuffed the two grunts and took them away. Clay smiled at Touya, Cheren and Juliet.

"You guys ain't so bad," he said, grinning, "ya put up a good fight in here."

"Thank you, sir," said Touya, smiling.

"Yeah, yeah you're welcome and all that," said Cheren impatiently, "So, about that Gym battle..."

"Yup, a promise is a promise," said Clay, leaving, "Come on an' challenge my Gym anytime!"

"YES!" said Cheren. Touya and Juliet just chuckled.

\----

When Touya, Cheren and Juliet headed to the Gym, they saw Clay and Bianca being confronted by Ghetsis. Zinzolin was standing next to Clay, in handcuffs, along with the other grunts there. There was no sign of Mara or Petr.

"Oh no, I smell trouble," said Touya.

"Clay," said Ghetsis, smiling insincerely, "it's a pleasure to meet you. I am Ghetsis, of Team Plasma. I've come to pick up my associates who are in your care." 

"I don't need no thanks, now," huffed Clay, angrily, "yer buddies were tryin' to steal some folks' Pokemon."

"What's this?" asked Ghetsis, obviously feigning incredulity, "It seems as if there has been some misunderstanding. We only free Pokemon from wicked people."

"Well, that sounds real nice, if it's true," said Clay, rightly not believing him, "I may not talk purty, but at least I'm an honest man. You talk real nice, but what yer sayin' kinda sounds like lyin'. So tell me plain, what are ya tryin' to say?"

"Team Plasma also has an interest in Driftveil City," said Ghetsis, smiling, "and we have many, many more members besides those who are here..."

"...Well, I can't tell if yer lyin' or not," said Clay after a brief pause, "but I reckon you've won this without a fight. Hrrmph. Fine. Take 'em and git!"

"A decision worthy of a businessman called the Miner King," said Ghetsis, clapping his hands together, "your grasp of the situation is outstanding. Well then, we will be taking our colleagues off your hands..."

"Ghetsis...thank you," said Zinzolin, his hand cuffs being removed.

"Don't worry, my fellow servant of the king," said Ghetsis, escorting Zinzolin and the two grunts away, "we are two of the Seven Sages, are we not? Well then, everyone, I expect that we will meet again somewhere."

With that, he took his leave.

"Creep," said Clay.

"Bianca!" said Cheren, "Are you okay?"

"Yes," said Bianca, "I'm fine."

"Sorry to let Team Plasma go after you tracked 'em down, fellas." said Clay.

"There isn't anything to be done," said Touya, "that Ghetsis guy seems scary powerful."

"Well," said Bianca, "he might have a point..."

"What? What do you mean Bianca?" asked Cheren, sounding shocked.

"I...I saw one of the trainers they stole from...and...and he was awful."

"Who was he?" asked Juliet.

"He called himself AJ. Professor Juniper sent me to talk to him, saying that he had well connected parents. His training methods were horrifying. He strapped strange objects onto them. He forced his Pokemon to face their weaknesses in painful ways under the threat of whipping them if they refused. And then there was the food he fed them...it was spiked with performance enhancing drugs."

"Oh Arceus," said Touya, feeling shocked.

"I ended up calling the police and told Professor Juniper, but before either of them could show up those Team Plasma grunts came, confiscated his Pokemon and sent him out. I...I didn't know what to say."

Cheren frowned and Touya paused in thought. Could it be that they had misunderstood Team Plasma the whole time? Could they have been wrong?

"That may be," said Clay, calmly, "but the fact remains that they also kidnapped Pokemon from some innocent people."

"Yeah," said Cheren, hastily, "don't feel so bad, Bianca."

"The Pokemon that boy abused will be safe wit' me," said Clay, "the rest will be returned to their trainers. Meanwhile you four ought to get some rest for yer Gym battles tomorrow."

"Bianca," said Touya, "have you already booked our hotel?"

"Yep!" said Bianca, "You and Cheren will be in room 206, while Juliet and I will be in 202!"

"Thanks Bianca!" said Cheren, "I'll be ready for you tomorrow, Clay!"

The four headed off to the hotel, waving Clay goodbye.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Anyone who's watched the anime probably knows who AJ is XD
> 
> Oh and a rundown of Pokemon chess pieces:  
> King=Nidoking  
> Queen=Nidoqueen  
> Rook=Honchkrow  
> Bishop=Bisharp  
> Knight=Zebstrika  
> Pawn=Pawniard


	23. Character Profiles - Team Cheren

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The next chapter may take a while because I've been thinking about yet ANOTHER fanfic idea (for Gravity Falls) lately and it won't leave me alone. In the meantime, here's the second character profile, this time dealing with Cheren and his team!
> 
> I'll be doing these character profiles as filler and to show off traits of the characters that either won't show up much in the story for one reason or another, or just to give you all insight on them. The next character profile will be about Bianca, then you'll get a very _interesting_ one about N, which will be followed by one for Alder and his team. I may throw in Professor Juniper, Hilda and Ghetsis too, though I haven't decided. Just before the endgame, I will supply updated character profiles for Touya, Cheren, Bianca and N.
> 
> Enjoy!

**Name:** Cheren Noir  
**Age:** 16  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Kantonese  
**Eye Color:** Grey  
**Hair Color:** Black  
**Birthplace:** Aspertia City  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Occupation:** Student of Professor Juniper, Pokemon Trainer  
**Relationships:** Mr. Noir (father), Mrs. Noir (mother), Terrence Noir (brother), Kevin Noir (brother), Edward Noir (brother), Touya Black (friend), Bianca Blanchard (friend, crush), Professor Juniper (mentor, friend), Champion Alder (idol), Team Plasma (enemies)  
**Marital status:** ~~In love with Bianca~~ Single  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Abner (Pignite), Sylvester (Liepard), Cyrus (Pansage), Skye (Tranquill)  
**Goal:** To become Champion

 **Name:** Abner  
**Species:** Emboar  
**Growth Stage:** Pignite  
**Level:** 26  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Jolly  
**Characteristic:** Likes to run  
**Ability:** Blaze  
**Hidden Ability:** Thick Fat  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Relationships:** Cheren Noir (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Bubbles (friend), Skye (friend), Sylvester (friend, rival), Cyrus (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Flame Charge, Arm Thrust, Smog, Rollout  
**Goal:** To impress Cheren

 **Name:** Sylvester  
**Species:** Liepard  
**Growth Stage:** Liepard  
**Level:** 24  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Sassy  
**Characteristic:** Likes to fight  
**Ability:** Unburden  
**Hidden Ability:** Prankster  
**Birthplace:** Route 1  
**Hometown:** Route 1  
**Relationships:** Cheren Noir (trainer), Skye (friend), Abner (friend, rival), Cyrus (friend), Ruff (enemy)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Fury Swipes, Pursuit, Torment, Fake Out  
**Goal:** To have it all

 **Name:** Cyrus  
**Species:** Simisage  
**Growth Stage:** Pansage  
**Level:** 24  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Impish  
**Characteristic:** Likes to thrash about  
**Ability:** Gluttony  
**Hidden Ability:** Overgrow  
**Birthplace:** Breeder house  
**Hometown:** Striaton City  
**Relationships:** Cheren (trainer), Abner (friend), Skye (friend), Sylvester (friend), Sea Monkey (cousin), Frying Pan (cousin)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Fury Swipes, Leech Seed, Bite, Seed Bomb  
**Goal:** To win

 **Name:** Skye  
**Species:** Unfezant  
**Growth Stage:** Tranquill  
**Level:** 24  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Serious  
**Characteristic:** Often lost in thought  
**Ability:** Super Luck  
**Hidden Ability:** Rivalry  
**Birthplace:** Route 3  
**Hometown:** Route 3  
**Relationships:** Cheren (trainer), Abner (friend), Cyrus (friend), Sylvester (rival)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Quick Attack, Air Cutter, Roost, Detect  
**Goal:** To become stronger


	24. The Quake Badge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

_Touya walked through a long hallway. A hallway he had no memory of ever traversing before. The hallway had banners with Team Plasma's symbol on it, and was lined with various doors. There were noises coming from each door, different noises in all of them, and this coupled with the affiliation toward Team Plasma left Touya feeling uneasy._

_But what made him feel even more uneasy was the music box tune coming from the door he was headed towards._

_And yet, something told him to open the door and enter it..._

_Just open the door...enter the room...see what's in there..._

_Touya opened the door to a bright and bizarrely colorful light...and heard what sounded like a small boy humming..._

"Touya, wake up!"

Touya woke up with a start as Cheren yelled at him. He looked up to see that Cheren was already dressed (well, almost, as he didn't have his jacket and his undershirt was partially unbuttoned), and he was grinning at Touya.

"Finally," he said, smirking, "you're a surprisingly heavy sleeper."

"I am?" asked Touya, looking up at Cheren and rubbing his eye groggily, "I...I was having a weird dream..."

"Was there a three-headed monster in it this time?"

"No...it was...a little creepier..."

"Creepier than seeing your Pokemon get killed?"

"I'm didn't see a lot in this one...which is part of what made it creepy."

"Heh," said Cheren, turning away before buttoning up his shirt and pulling on his jacket, "you're weird Touya. You gonna change and get ready to face Clay?"

"Oh," said Touya looking up, "I almost forgot! Well, I think I'm gonna train a little bit first."

"An excellent idea," said Cheren, his glasses glinting dramatically, "I'm quite confident myself! Cyrus and Abner should do pretty well. I know Fire is usually weak to Ground, but Clay's ace is part-Steel, and Abner is Fire and Fighting, so he should do well against that. Plus, he also has a Dark-type and a Water-type, so both Abner and Cyrus should do pretty well there. And of course, Skye is immune to Ground moves overall."

"I guess that means I should train up Sir Hiss, Screech and Breezy, then."

"Good idea! Welp, I'm off!"

"Goin' to battle Clay now?"

"No, I'm going to eat breakfast with Bianca! I'm not making the same mistake again..."

Touya chuckled.

\----

"Sea Monkey, use Scald!"

Sea Monkey grinned and sent a jet of hot water at the Vanillite floating in front of her, burning it in the process. Touya had found that TM outside of the Cold Storage and knew it would be a good choice for Sea Monkey. The Vanillite meanwhile was weakened enough now that Touya could capture it. He threw a Pokeball and captured the little ice cream-like creature.

_Vanillite_  
_Icy_  
_Brave Nature_  
_Driftveil City_  
_Met at Level 21_  
_Sturdy Body_

Sea Monkey smiled happily as she jumped over to her trainer, who smiled back and knelt down to pat her head.

"You did great out there, Sea Monkey," he said, handing her a berry to eat, "now return!"

As he returned her to her Pokeball, Juliet walked over to him.

"Man, Touya, you're good out there!"

"Thanks," said Touya, "I guess I have Hilda to thank for that."

Suddenly, a motorcyclist rode past.

"Hey kid," he said, "name's Charles! You wanna try a new type of battle?"

"That depends, should my friend and I be calling the police right now?"

"Wha!? No! Of course not! You ever hear of rotation battles?"

"Yes, actually," said Touya, smiling, "three on three with each one switching, right?"

"Yes! You wanna try it?"

Touya looked at Juliet who smiled.

"Do it, Touya! We could both learn something from that!"

"Okay then, sure." Touya said to Charles.

"Alright then!" said the Motorcyclist, "Sniper, Demoman, Scout, get out there!"

A Krokorok, Basculin and Zebstrika burst out of the biker's Pokeballs. Touya sent out Sir Hiss, Breezy and Screech.

"Alright," said the cyclist, "here's how it goes! Only two Pokemon can fight each other at a time. So only one of mine and one of yours can do fight each other while the other two are in back!"

"I know, and we rotate them, I get it, let's start!"

"Alright then, Sniper, use Assurance!"

The Krokorok hit Sir Hiss with its claws, prompting Sir Hiss to glare at it angrily.

"Sir Hiss, use Mega Drain!"

Sir Hiss sneered and started draining the Krokorok of its energy, both of their bodies glowing brightly as he did so. The Ground-typed crocodillian very quickly started to succumb to fatigue. Juliet pumped a tiny fist in the air.

"Woo! Go Touya!" she called out.

"Alright then!" said Charles, "Now rotate! Demoman, get 'im!"

"Breezy, go!"

The two teams shifted immediately, Touya's going left, Charles' going right. The large green and predatory looking fish that Touya recognized as a Basculin took center stage, floating as many fish Pokemon did in front of Breezy. Touya knew of two different variants of Basculin, red stripe and blue stripe, and both were bitter enemies towards each other. Hopefully, Breezy would do well against it.

"Breezy," said Touya, "use Quick Attack!"

Breezy flapped his wings and zoomed toward the Basculin, hitting him hard.

"Demoman, use Crunch!"

The fish floated toward Breezy, opened its mouth wide and bit down on his wing hard, crippling him somewhat.

"Breezy," said Touya, "use Roost and then Air Cutter!"

Breezy nestled into the dirt and puffed up his feathers as he started to heal himself. He then flapped his wings and sent a sharp wind at his foe, slicing into its scaly skin with ease.

"Demoman, use Take Down!"

The Basculin swooped toward Breezy and hit him hard, suffering recoil damage in the process.

"Alright," said Touya, "rotate!"

"Rotate!" said Charles.

They rotated their teams again, Touya moving to Screech, Charles switching to his Zebstrika.

"This should be easy," said Charles, grinning, "Scout, use Spark!"

"Dodge it, Screech!"

Screech moved swiftly out of the way as Scout ran at him with an electrically charged attack. The Zebstrika turned to look at his opponent, who glared up at him, proudly yet nervously.

"Now Screech, use Ancient Power!"

Screech let out a squawk as several stones emerged from the ground around him, which he then hurled at the Zebstrika fiercely. The Zebstrika scowled and Screech grinned. Touya grinned too, as the attack raised all of the little dinosaur's stats.

"Alright, rotate! Let's go Breezy!"

"Go Sniper!"

Touya smiled--at the very least, Breezy would be completely unaffected by his Ground-type moves.

"Sniper, use Swagger!"

The Krokorok gave an evil sneer and growled darkly...Breezy snapped to attention and hissed, his stats rising...but then he succumbed to confusion. Touya shook his head.

"Crap," said Touya, fumbling for a Full Restore he had gotten at the Pokemon Center.

"Use Embargo, Sniper!"

"Dangit!" shouted Touya as the Krokorok blocked all means of using items; he had to be careful now--Breezy's confusion could lead to him hurting himself by accident, "Breezy, try using Roost!"

Breezy, still disoriented, settled into the dust and tried to heal. However, the Krokorok noticed its opening and hit him with an Assurance, knocking him out. Touya scowled and returned Breezy.

"You jerk!" shouted Juliet, but Touya held up a hand to calm her.

"No, Juliet," he said sending out Prima in Breezy's place, "it's a Dark-type, they play dirty. But I have some Dark-type moves up my sleeve too!"

"So you're not gonna quit, eh kid?" said Charles, grinning.

"Not on your life!"

\----

N stood outside the Chargestone cave, smiling to himself as he petted the Ducklett he had captured on the bridge. 

"You're free now, friend," he said softly, "now go, return home to your family. Your job is done."

The Ducklett let out a cheery "quack" and fluttered away, in the direction of the Driftveil Drawbridge. N smiled. He always loved seeing Pokemon return to the freedom of nature. It was sad that some of his friends could never know that freedom...

"Lord N," said a voice.

Touya turned to see a member of Ghetsis' Shadow Triad.

"Yes, 001?"

"I'm 002."

"Right."

"The suspected Hero of Truth is going to challenge the Driftveil City Gym Leader. Shall we tail him?"

"Not yet," said N, smiling deviously, "I already have someone keeping an eye on him."

"Who might that be?"

N turned toward the cave and spoke softly.

"A friend."

\----

"Demoman, return!" said Charles as Sir Hiss felled his last Pokemon, "Great job kid! Not bad for your first Rotation Battle!"

"Thanks," said Touya, shaking the biker's hand, "I strategize. A lot."

"TOUYA!" said Juliet.

"What?"

"Look at Sir Hiss!"

"Why wha-"

But when Touya looked at Sir Hiss, his eyes grew wide with shock. Sir Hiss was on his belly on the ground, squirming as he started to slough off some of his old skin. His body was already beginning to elongate and his legs had been atrophied. His collar was elongating as well as he crawled slowly out of his old skin, leaves covering him and his head gaining a pair of long leafy crests...Sir Hiss had grown longer, more regal and far more majestic looking. There was no mistaking it, Touya knew what had just happened.

Sir Hiss had reached the final stage of his life cycle...no more was he a Servine...he was now a Serperior!

"Sir Hiss!" Touya cried out, running to hug his first Pokemon as Prima and Juliet jumped for joy, Screech backed away, looking slightly afraid and Charles patted Touya on the back.

"Congratulations, kid!"

"You're so big, buddy!" said Touya proudly as he petted Sir Hiss' head--indeed, Sir Hiss was now up to ten feet in length, from the tip of his nose to the tip of his tail.

"Looks like he won't be riding around on your shoulder anymore, huh?" asked Juliet.

"No way," said Touya, as Sir Hiss beamed proudly at his beautiful new form, "but I don't think he needs to anymore. Clay shouldn't be a problem anymore though!"

"Let's heal up your Pokemon and go face him!"

"I'm on board with that, let's go!"

\----

"Hey there, kid," said Clay, grinning at Touya as he and Juliet entered the Gym, "ya here ta battle for the badge?"

"Yeah," said Touya, feeling quite confident this time, "and I'm ready for it."

"Suit yerself, kid, but I won't go easy on ya. Let's see if ya can measure up to that sister of yer's! Go Krokorok!"

Another Krokorok appeared on the stadium, baring its teeth and claws.

"Get out there, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss burst out of his Pokeball rearing up in a regal fashion as he flicked his forked tongue out.

"Ah, I see yer Pokemon has evolved," said Clay, smiling.

"Yes, he has!"

"Well, I can bet I'll still beat 'im! Krokorok, use Crunch!"

The Krokorok ran at Sir Hiss and bit down hard on him with its fearsome jaws. Sir Hiss glared at it and scowled.

"Sir Hiss, use Vine Whip!"

Sir Hiss extended his vines and swiped at his opponent with them, hitting him hard. Clay chuckled.

"Yer good kid. But I ain't givin' up. Krokorok, use Assurance!"

"Sir Hiss, dodge it and use Mega Drain!"

Sir Hiss slipped across the ground, escaping the Krokorok's attack, before draining it of its remaining health. Clay returned the Krokorok and smiled.

"Yer doin' pretty well kid. Yer buddies Cheren and Bianca were just as good too. Now go Palpitoad!"

A medium-sized amphibian that Touya recognized as the second stage of Tympole emerged, bouncing up and down. It was almost too easy...

"Use Muddy Water!"

The Palpitoad produced a wave of filthy water from its mouth, drenching Sir Hiss who gave a look of disgust, prompting a giggle from Juliet.

"Don't worry about it, Sir Hiss!" said Touya, chuckling, "We'll clean you up when this is done! Use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss fired a wind of sharp leaves at the Palpitoad, knocking it out cold. Clay returned the Palpitoad and gave a hearty chuckle.

"Yer alright, kid! But I've got an ace up my sleeve...go Excadrill!"

A large mole burst out of Clay's last Pokeball, its metallic claws shining threateningly as it glared at Sir Hiss.

"Use Bulldoze, Excadrill!"

The Excadrill rolled up into a ball and excelerated toward Sir Hiss, slamming into him and rolling over him, injuring him.

"Full Restore!" said Touya, spraying his Pokemon with one of the medicines, "Now use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss reared back up as the Excadrill returned to its previous position. He then hit the Excadrill with another wind of sharp leaves with a grin on his face.

"Hyper Potion," said Clay, smiling, "Now use Rock Slide!"

The Excadrill used its claws to scoop several rocks from the ground below its feet and leaped upward, throwing the rocks in Sir Hiss' direction. Sir Hiss was hit by them point blank and lost quite a bit of health in the process.

 _"A critical hit..."_ thought Touya.

"Sir Hiss, use Mega Drain now!"

Sir Hiss promptly drained the Excadrill of its energy...the draining this time was enough to force the unfortunate mammal to succumb to fatigue. The Excadrill was down for the count and Clay returned it.

"YES!" shouted Touya, running to his Pokemon with a smile, "Great job Sir Hiss!"

"Woo! Go Touya!" called out Juliet.

"Welp, ya won fair and square, kiddo!" said Clay walking up to Touya and patting him on the back, "Here's the Quake Badge."

He dropped the badge into Touya's hand.

"And the TM?" asked Touya.

"Meet me outside the Chargestone Cave for that."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Battling Clay was surprisingly easy, which is refreshing after that horror show that was the battle with Elesa XD  
> And there's also a nice little tantalizing hint to a certain boy's backstory at the beginning...


	25. Chargestone Cave and the Shadow Triad

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> SO SORRY that this was late! What happened? GRAVITY FREAKING FALLS HAPPENED! I started checking it out and now it's all I can think about!  
> Well, that and writer's block. I had no idea what to do with this chapter. But don't worry, next one will probably be much easier!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

Touya and Juliet exited the gym and headed in the direction of the Chargestone Cave. Before they could actually get there, however, they bumped into Bianca...literally.

"Hey Bianca," said Touya, smiling as he helped both his friends up, "how you been?"

"Just fine!" said Bianca happily, "I see you got the Quake Badge! You wanna battle?"

"Bianca, I just got back from a Gym battle," said Touya, surprised, "and I think I should tell you-"

"Oh, Touya, c'mon! It'll be fun! GO BUBBLES!"

Bianca sent out her Dewott with a smile. Touya sighed.

"Okay then...go Sir Hiss."

Sir Hiss burst out of his Pokeball and towered frighteningly over Bubbles. Bubbles and Bianca both looked up in shock.

"Your...your Servine evolved already?"

"Yep. You still wanna battle?"

"No no, that's fine! I forfeit, Bubbles return!"

Bubbles, still shell-shocked, was sent back to his Pokeball immediately.

"I guess I ought to congratulate you, Touya," said Bianca, "your starter Pokemon has already evolved and everything."

It was hard for Touya to miss the sadness in Bianca's voice.

"Well, Bianca," he said, "I think he might have only gotten to that point because I favored him too much, like Hilda said."

Sir Hiss glared at Touya who just grinned before returning him to his Pokeball.

"But even then, you're so talented!" said Bianca, "You win so much! What is your secret!?"

"I told Cheren before, I just lucked into winning. Hasn't that been how it always was?"

Bianca sighed but then smiled.

"Well, I'll get stronger someday! In the meantime, here take this!"

She handed Touya an HM with the label "HM02 - Fly".

"Professor Juniper gave me and Cheren copies of this and told me to give this one to you!"

"Thank you Bianca," said Touya smiling, as he pulled out Breezy's Pokeball and the Pokedex, "I'll teach this one to Breezy!"

Breezy emerged from the Pokeball and Touya placed the HM into the Pokedex, selecting Breezy as the one to learn the move. The message then said "This device intends to teach Breezy the move Fly...however, Breezy is recognized as having four moves. Shall a move be forgotten and replaced with Fly?" 

Touya nodded and tapped the hologram to continue. He chose Quick Attack as the move to be forgotten. 

The hologram depicted wasn't quite like the ones for moves like Cut or Protect, as it had two different projections. The first showed a birdlike silhouette flying upward in front of an attacking opponent and then swooping down to attack it. The second showed a stylized trainer holding up a Pokeball out of which the same silhouette emerged and allowed the trainer to sit on its back while it flies off.

Breezy watched as the holograms repeated themselves several times. The message "Breezy forgot how to use Quick Attack and learned how to use Fly!" 

"Alright, then!" said Touya smiling, "Now Breezy can fly us places!"

Breezy let out a loud squawk. Juliet chuckled.

"Hey kid." said a voice.

Touya, Bianca, Juliet and Breezy turned to see Clay smiling.

"I also have a machine fer ya, of the 'technical' variety in this case. It's my signature move, Bulldoze!"

"Thank you sir." said Touya, smiling.

"Yer welcome kid. Now I gotta get goin'. This town don't run itself ya know. Oh, and Touya?"

"Yes, sir?"

"Keep callin' me sir. I love gettin' some respect from trainers fer once!"

"Um...okay, sir."

\----

"You know Bianca," said Touya, smiling, "I still have other Pokemon that need some level grinding. You want a three on three with them instead?"

"Oh," said Bianca, "well, okay! Let's go, Bubbles!"

"Go, Ruff!"

Ruff and Bubbles stared each other down before Bianca gave Bubbles an order.

"Bubbles, use Razor Shell!"

Bubbles grabbed one of the shells on his fur and ran at Ruff with the shells sharpened like blades. He swiped at the dog fiercely and viciously. Touya smiled.

"You're doin' pretty good, Bianca! Ruff use Crunch!"

Ruff ran at Bubbles and bit down very hard on his arm. Bubbles let out a shriek, and Bianca called out "Don't worry, Bubbles! Hit him with Water Pulse!"

Bubbles leaped up and hit Ruff with a bursting pulse of water from his mouth, channeling it forward with his hands. Ruff was hit hard, and succumbed to confusion.

"Ruff, return!" said Touya, as Bianca jumped up with joy.

"You've been getting better, Bianca!"

"Thanks, now let's go, Shaula!"

A Musharna burst out of Bianca's ball next, much to Touya's surprise.

"You've evolved your Munna?"

"Yep! She's really strong now!"

"Well alright then, but I can still fight her, go Screech!"

Screech burst out of the Pokeball with a squawk and looked up at his opponent. 

"Shaula, use Psybeam!"

Shaula sent a wave of psychic energy at Screech who held his head in pain. Fortunately, he didn't seem to suffer confusion from this.

"Screech, don't panic! Use Ancient Power!"

Screech sent a series of large fossilized rocks at Shaula, hitting her hard. Shaula let out a yell as she fell to the ground. Bianca returned her and sent out her Herdier.

"Lillian's up next!"

"Screech, return! Go Breezy! Let's test out your new move!"

Breezy burst out of his Pokeball and stood looking at Lillian. The latter's Intimidate ability cut Breezy's health.

"Lillian, use Take Down!"

"Breezy, use Fly!"

Lillian was about to run at Breezy and attack him, but he flew upward and soared high above her to avoid the attack. Lillian looked around in alarm, her opponent being nowhere to be seen. Breezy then swooped down and hit Lillian with his claws.

Lillian looked up angrily at Breezy as he hovered over her after the attack. Bianca called out for her to use Crunch, Touya called out for Breezy to use Air Cutter. Lillian tried to jump at Breezy to bite him, but Breezy dodged and hit her with the Air Cutter attack, knocking her out.

"Lillian, come back!" said Bianca as her Pokeball returned Lillian, "Wow, you're good Touya!"

"Thanks! You're getting pretty good yourself."

"Hey Touya," said Juliet, "I think we have another evolution going on!"

"What!?"

Touya turned to see Breezy puffing up his feathers again. His feathers puffed...and puffed...and puffed...and puffed...until...

POP!

This time Touya wasn't worried.

"Okay, so now the wind will blow the feathers away and-"

Before Touya could finish his sentence, Breezy burst out of the pile of feathers on his own accord, wings raised dramatically. He was much larger, with long, powerful looking wings. His body plumage was a mix of glossy green and iridescent black. His head was adorned with long, vibrant red wattles, resembling an extravagant mask. Breezy was no longer a Tranquill...now he was an Unfezant!

"Or he could do that." said Touya, as Breezy struck several dramatic poses, something that Touya couldn't help but feel a bit surprised at.

"Congratulations, Touya!" said Bianca, "Two evolutions in a row!"

"Thank you," said Touya, still staring at his bird as he continued to dance around and pose dramatically.

"Man," said Juliet, "he sure is fabulous!"

"Indeed he is," said Touya.

"You want me to heal your Pokemon, Touya?" asked Bianca.

"Sure, go ahead," said Touya, smiling as he returned Breezy to his Pokeball, "thanks."

"You're most welcome!" said Bianca as she healed up his Pokemon, "the professor wants to meet us in the cave, so I don't wanna keep her waiting, but I also don't wanna leave you vulnerable."

"Thanks, Bianca."

"So will we go inside now?"

"Of course!" said Bianca, handing Touya his fully healed Pokemon.

\----

N stood in the Chargestone Cave, a Klink floating around him and a Joltik perching on his shoulder. 

"And that's what I'm planning on doing, Klink." 

_"That sounds wonderful, Mr. Harmonia. I would love to help you make that dream a reality."_

"Thank you," said N, smiling, "you remind me of a friend of mine."

 _"Hey N,"_ said the Joltik, cheerfully, _"What should I do?"_

"You simply need to help me out for as long as I'm staying here in this cave. You can return home afterward."

"Okay!"

"Lord N."

N turned around to see one of the Shadow Triad kneeling before him.

"We have spotted the Hero of Truth headed into the cave."

"I see," said N, "find him and bring him to me."

"Yes, my lord."

\----

The trio met Professor Juniper pretty quickly upon entering the electromagnetic interior of the Chargestone Cave. Touya was immediately fascinated, looking around at the various glowing rock formations and, of course, the Pokemon. From the energy eating Joltiks crawling about on the walls to the well-camouflaged Boldores hiding among the rocks to the Tynamos floating about through the cave looking for something to parasitize...it was a goldmine of specimens for his 'dex.

"Hello there, Touya, Bianca! And..." said Professor Juniper.

"Juliet, Ma'am," said Juliet, curtsying, "I'm friends with Touya!"

"Aww, someone has some delightful manners!"

"Talk to her for another ten minutes and see if you still think that," said Touya with a grin, prompting a glare from his young companion, "You could think of her as my 'student'. She wants to learn some stuff from me. By the by, do you want to see how my 'dex is coming along?"

"Oh most certainly!" said Professor Juniper, taking Touya's Pokedex and checking his progress, "My goodness, you've been catching a lot! Poor Fennel must be swamped!"

"Heh, yeah," said Touya, chuckling. He had passed through Route 6 during his training attempts before facing Clay, and he had caught many new Pokemon while he was there.

"Well, I can assure you that you'll catch so many more around here!" said Professor Juniper, handing Touya his 'dex back, "Here, take this too!"

She handed him what looked like a plain white egg.

"An egg?"

"It's not a real egg, Touya!" said Bianca, "It's a Lucky Egg! If a Pokemon holds it, they'll gain extra experience!"

"I'll keep that in mind then, thank you Professor."

"You're very welcome," said Professor Juniper, "Now go catch more Pokemon in here and expand that 'dex of yours!"

\----

Touya and Juliet headed off while Bianca stayed with Professor Juniper. Touya desired to catch more Pokemon, Juliet just wanted to find some Pokemon to battle. Sure enough, they both got their wishes when they entered the path of a Joltik.

"Hey, Juliet," said Touya, "how about you battle this one, and I'll catch it?"

"Sounds good to me!" said Juliet, "Go, Maractus!"

Maractus jumped out. It was a Grass-type, which would have left it weak to Bug, but it was also resistant to Joltik's Electric-type.

"Maractus! Use Pin Missile!"

The Maractus hit the Joltik with several sharp needles. The Joltik let out an angry chattering noise and fired off an Electroweb against its foe.

"Maractus, hit it with Fury Swipes!"

Maractus started swiping at the Joltik, whittling down its HP further.

"Alright, I think it's good," said Touya, "Pokeball go!"

The Joltik was captured swiftly, its data entered into the 'dex.

"Yes!" shouted Touya, "I have the perfect name for her too!"

_Joltik_   
_Blue Eyes_   
_Chargestone Cave_   
_Mild Nature_   
_Met at Level 25_   
_Mischievous_

"Man, that was almost too easy!" said Juliet, chuckling.

"Indeed," said Touya, "I think this could be-"

...

"Touya?" asked Juliet turning to look for her older companion.

But he was gone. 

"Uh-oh..."

\----

Touya found himself seemingly transported to another part of the cave, leaving him dazed and confused. As he regained his senses, the first thing he noticed was that two people were on either side of him were gripping his arms tightly. He looked to either side to see a pair of men shrouded in shadow, with long white hair flowing over their masks. Touya felt panic coursing through him at this sight.

"Wha!? Who are you guys!? Where are my friends!? Where are you taking me!?"

The two shadowy men released him and a third one arrived out of seemingly nowhere.

"Come." said the third one, gesturing.

"I...Where? Why?"

"Come." he said again.

Touya turned to the other two, who were each gripping an unusual rod that was giving off sparks of electricity. Touya didn't want to know what they were going to use those for, so he sighed and followed the strange men.

As the moved further down the cave, Touya quickly discovered why they were there...standing in the center of the cave was N.

"Lord N, we brought the one you wanted."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Breezy actually evolved at a different battle, but I decided having him evolve during Bianca's battle would be a time saver.  
> See ya on the next chapter!


	26. Pursuit of Ideals

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! I actually managed to get the next chapter out pretty darn quickly. That's mainly because this time I actually started on it _immediately_ after uploading the previous one. I'm gonna try and do that more often from now on ^_^
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

"Lord N, we brought the one you wanted."

"Thank you, Shadow Triad. That will be all."

With that, the three men who took Touya there vanished. Touya felt a cold chill as they did so before looking at N in alarm.

"Wha-What's going on? Who were they?" he squeaked, frightened.

"Ah, yes. That was the Shadow Triad, just now," said N, smiling, "Ghetsis enlisted them in Team Plasma. They were the ones who set up the Galvantula web outside."

Touya was about to question what he just said, as he didn't see a web of any kind out there, but then he remembered that Clay was there before he entered the cave. Clay must have destroyed the web before he arrived. Touya sighed irritably as he let the shock die down.

"N, what do you want from me?"

N just smiled softly and said, "Chargestone Cave... I like this place. Formulas express electricity and its connection to Pokemon... If people did not exist, this would be an ideal place."

"Enough games, N," said Touya, darkly, "tell me what's really going on!"

"Very well. You have been chosen, you know. Does it surprise you I said that?"

"To be honest, yes."

"Of course. Such news should be a surprise," said N, not quite towards Touya, "I told Ghetsis about you and your friends. After I did, he apparently used the Shadow Triad to find out about you." 

"Well tell Ghetsis that he's a creep."

"Cheren is pursuing the ideal of strength," N went on, ignoring Touya's comment, "Poor Bianca has faced the sad truth that not everyone can become stronger. And you are not swayed either way--more of a neutral presence. Which is apparently a good thing. Team Plasma will be waiting for you ahead. Ghetsis wants to see what kind of Pokemon Trainer you really are." 

The more Touya heard and saw of this Ghetsis person, the more he disliked him. N may have claimed to be Team Plasma's "king", but everything seemed to gravitate back to Ghetsis somehow. Could it be that he had more influence than N claimed?

"Why is your sage guy sending ninjas to stalk me and my friends?"

"'My friends and _I_ '," said N, smirking, much to Touya's annoyance, "and the Shadow Triad isn't watching _you_ , just your friends. I have someone else watching you..."

"Who?" asked Touya, getting more and more irritable at the lack of information that N was giving him, "Those grunts of yours I keep running into? The one who won't stop babbling about his Watchog? The one who obviously has a crush on you?"

"I don't know my grunts at all that well," explained N, "they answer to the sages typically, it's rare that they ever speak to me directly. So no, I do not have any grunts hunting you down. I won't tell you who my source of information about you is, all I will say is that, he's a friend of mine. And no, he will not hurt you."

Touya wasn't sure how comforting that statement was. He guessed that since N called this mysterious being his "friend", it must have been a Pokemon. The question is, what Pokemon was it? If he had failed to notice it this long, it must have been a pretty common one, like a Pidove or a Sewaddle or something. 

"N, stop beating around the Oddish. What do you want with me and what am I being chosen for?"

"I assure you, I have never done such a thing to an Oddish...oh, that was one of those 'expressions' you folks use so much. Very amusing."

" _N!_ "

"The thing you're being chosen for," said N, "is to be the Hero of Truth."

"...What?"

N leaned forward, very close to Touya.

"Just as I am the Hero of Ideals, you shall be the Hero of Truth. We suspected that one of you three would hold that title, but our intel confirmed that Cheren and Bianca were not the correct choices. You however...you're the most plausible candidate by far."

Touya blinked. He wanted to ask "What?" again, but he couldn't, as he was still trying to process what he was hearing right now. "Hero of Truth"? "Hero of Ideals"? He had remembered what Professor Juniper had said about the story behind the founding of Unova...

_"They say that the two founders of Unova had wielded two powerful Dragon-type Pokemon, Zekrom of Ideals and Reshiram of Truth."_

_She draws two dragons on the blackboard, one looking more like a machine than an animal, the other looking more like a bird than a dragon._

_"As interesting as this story is, there is no real evidence that these dragons existed, so most scientists, like myself, doubt that they ever actually did."_

Touya remembered questioning whether it was _possible_ for them to exist. He had to admit, part of him hoped they did. Professor Juniper noted that she certainly knew it was possible. Indeed, many "Legendary" Pokemon proved to be real before. This prompted Pokedex entries to be made for "Legendaries", just in case. But Professor Juniper expressed doubt.

"So you want me to wield a Pokemon that most likely doesn't exist?"

"Oh, I assure you, my friend...it does exist. And you will meet it soon."

Touya shook his head. This was getting too confusing and irritating. 

"THERE HE IS!" shouted a voice Touya recognized as Juliet's.

"Hello, Touya!" said Professor Juniper, entering from the right side of the cave, "Thank goodness I found-"

She saw N leaning in front of Touya, their faces inches away from each other. Touya suddenly became aware of the fact that he had his back against the cave wall and N was standing in front of him in a very... _intimate_ looking fashion.

The Professor paused, Bianca was blushing and Juliet looked confused.

"Oh I'm terribly sorry," said Professor Juniper, turning around, "I didn't realize I was interrupting something..."

"WAIT PROFESSOR, THIS ISN'T WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE!"

"It's quite alright, madam," said N, "I'm done here. I'll take my leave. But fair warning, Touya...you'll meet more members of Team Plasma very soon..."

With that, N vanished into the next part of the cave, leaving Touya, Bianca, Juliet and the Professor behind.

\----

"What was all that about?" asked the Professor as she, her students and Juliet continued through the cave, "And who was that trainer?"

"He calls himself 'N' and he's the leader of Team Plasma," said Touya, sighing, "he was telling me that he thinks I'm meant to train one of the legendary dragons of Unova."

"Zekrom and Reshiram?" asked the Professor, "He does know there's no evidence of them existing, right?"

"He insists that they do, and apparently, I'm supposed to obtain Reshiram at some point."

"Is it possible for those dragons to exist?" asked Juliet.

"Yes, actually," said Professor Juniper, "Pokemon classified as 'legendary' have been proven to exist in the past. The well known trainer Red Tajiri was one of the first trainers documented to have captured a Pokemon classified under that classification; Articuno, Moltres, Zapdos and Mewtwo."

"Red? I've heard of him!" said Juliet excitedly, "I heard he's really good!"

"Yeah, everyone has," said Touya, "he's practically a legend in and of himself."

"So we know that some legendaries exist," said Juliet, "but we don't know if these ones in particular do?"

"No evidence for these ones beyond the old stories," said Bianca, "and those aren't enough to go on. Most of the ones that were actually caught in other regions are the only ones that were actually documented."

"It doesn't help that the term 'legendary' is kind of a nebulous one," added Touya, "officially, the definition is a Pokemon that is much more powerful than average and more long-lived, but others have different ideas for what being a legendary entails. Some argue that it should basically be a cryptid, a Pokemon that may exist, but is only known from eyewitness accounts and things of that nature."

"Others believe that legendaries are essentially gods," said Professor Juniper, "like Arceus or Dialga...the latter of which was captured by a young woman in Sinnoh..."

"And then there's Mewtwo, which really messes up the pattern by being a manmade Pokemon."

"OH!" said Professor Juniper, "That reminds me, the reason we were in the cave to begin with was because I was trying to research the origins of the Pokemon Klink."

"What did you discover?"

"Well, we found out that the cave has been around for thousands of years. Klink is recorded to have only appeared about a century ago, but I was hoping to find evidence to the contrary. I didn't, so we've concluded that they really did only appear a hundred years ago!"

"Huh, weird."

"Indeed! We hope to find out more about where Klink came from!"

"Me too," said Bianca, "you know, Touya, science is really interesting!"

"I've been telling you that for years, Bianca."

"I know!" said Bianca, "But I thought you were being sarcastic until I actually tried science for the first time!"

Touya rolled his eyes.

"Uh, guys..." said Juliet, "where are we exactly?"

"Excellent question, Juliet," said Professor Juniper, "let's see, we are precisely..."

The professor trailed off as the four of them looked around and realized that no part of the cave looked familiar anymore. Staring dumbstruck, the Professor sighed and said, "Okay, please don't panic but...I think we might be lost."

"WE'RE LOST!?" shrieked Bianca.

"The Professor said 'DON'T panic'!" shouted Juliet.

"Yeah, Bianca," said Touya, "don't worry, we'll find our way out. In the meantime, let's find somewhere comfortable to sit down and rest. Like this rock."

Touya proceeded to sit on a rock...which started to move and rumble.

"Touya, I don't think that's a rock..."

"Huh?" Touya looked down, "HOLY CRAP!"

\----

_Boldore_  
_Sardonyx_  
_Chargestone Cave_  
_Naive Nature_  
_Met at Level 24_  
_Likes to thrash about_

Touya smiled as another new 'dex entry was recorded and his new Pokemon was transferred to Professor Fennel. Touya was now seated on a rock that he made absolutely sure was not a Pokemon, and had unpacked the lunch he had brought with him for himself, Juliet and their Pokemon. He was eating a sandwich, Sir Hiss had some frozen Ratattas, Prima, Sea Monkey and Breezy were eating some berries, Ruff was gobbling down some dog food and Screech was pecking at the body of a dead Magikarp. Juliet grumbled as she took a bite of her own sandwich and fed her Pokemon their meals, the preschooler tapping her foot impatiently. Bianca and Professor Juniper were pacing around, trying to figure out an exit.

"Bianca, Juniper," said Touya, "you guys want a sandwich? I bought and packed plenty."

"Not right now, Touya," said Professor Juniper, "we're trying to find a way out of the cave."

"Wouldn't it be easier to do that with a full stomach?"

The Professor and Bianca didn't seem to be listening. Shrugging, Touya leaned back before turning to see a glimpse of grey floating behind a corner.

"What is that?"

Touya stood up and followed it, his Pokemon following him.

"Man for a professor, Juniper is pretty scatterbrained, right Touya?"

...

"Touya? Oh great, not again!"

\----

Touya glanced around as he entered the area he saw the person or Pokemon that disappeared behind the corner. He heard a noise behind him and turned to see his Pokemon--Sir Hiss was leading the charge with Breezy perched on his head and Prima and Ruff were side by side as Screech and Sea Monkey sat on their respective backs.

"Stay quiet," whispered Touya, "and stay behind me."

As Touya and his Pokemon traveled further down the cave, they soon heard voices coming from the chamber they were approaching. Voices that were very familiar...

"Now tell us what we want to know!" said a man's voice, "What do you know about the revival of Pokemon!?"

"I don't know anything! Please, just leave me alone!"

That voice was one Touya didn't recognize. He sounded scared.

"Hanover, please," said a woman's voice that Touya _did_ recognize, "he doesn't have any involvement with legendary Pokemon. I think he's telling the truth."

"Ah come on, Regina," said Hanover's voice, "you're too trusting. He's clearly lying!"

Touya turned to his Pokemon and nodded. They all nodded in response and moved out.

"HEY!"

Hanover, Regina and the person they were interrogating (a doctor with an injured Swadloon by his side) all turned to see Touya and his Pokemon staring them down.

"Get away from him, or else!"

"Ugh, who's this kid again?" asked Hanover.

Touya was livid.

"He's the brat N's obsessed with," said Regina, "the sages say he's the 'Hero of Truth'."

"I'm also the one whose Blitzle _you_ killed!" Touya said, pointing to Hanover angrily.

"Eh? That was yours? I forgot."

Touya scowled. Sir Hiss, Prima and Ruff did the same.

"Whatever," said Hanover, letting out a Krokorok, "I can still beat you."

"So can I," said Regina, sending out a shiny Watchog.

"I can beat you! Right guys?"

Touya's Pokemon all nodded in agreement and prepared for a battle...and then...

"STOP!"

Touya, Regina and Hanover turned their heads to see N, holding a Joltik on his shoulder and looking at them with an expression of disdain.

"You two stand down," he said to Hanover and Regina, "I'll handle this."

"Yes sir," said Regina returning her Pokemon.

"Ah c'mon, sir! Can't we rough the kid up a bit?"

"I said, 'stand down', Mr. Hanover. Do not make me say it again."

Grumbling, Hanover returned his Pokemon and left with Regina. The doctor looked up in worry as Touya turned to N.

"It's funny that you let that Hanover guy keep working with you," he said, "he's the one who killed my Blitzle."

"Yes, I'm aware," said N, darkly, "but you mustn't blame him. It was an accident after all."

"What!?" said Touya, shocked, "It most certainly was not!"

"That isn't important right now, though," said N, ignoring Touya's outrage, "I want to have another battle with you."

"Oh for Arceus' sake, why!?"

"Many different values mix together, and the world becomes gray... That is unforgivable! I will separate Pokemon and people, and black and white will be clearly distinct! Only then will Pokemon become perfect beings! Yes, that is my dream! That is the dream I must fulfill! Touya, do you have a dream of your own?"

"NOTHING YOU'RE SAYING MAKES ANY SENSE!"

There was a pause, and then N shrugged.

"Eh... I guess... I have to crush your will here then! Go, Boldore!"

"Get out there Sea Monkey!"

A Boldore burst out of N's Pokeball while Sea Monkey leaped into action. 

"Sea Monkey, use Water Gun!"

A swift squirt from Sea Monkey's mouth and tail and the Boldore was down for the count.

"Boldore, return! Go, Ferroseed!"

A small, round creature with prickly thorns all over its body appeared. Touya ordered Breezy to go after it.

"Do you seriously believe that Pokemon battles help us understand one another?" asked N, angrily.

"Yes I do," said Touya, "Breezy, use Fly!"

"Ferroseed, Pin Missile!"

Breezy soared upward, dodging the Pin Missile attack just in time, before swooping down and taking out the Ferroseed.

"Ferroseed, return!" shouted N, "I'm not done yet, Touya! I will show you that my love for my friends permeates every cell of my body! Go Joltik!"

"Screech, you think you're up to it?" asked Touya. The little dinosaur gave a nod and jumped down from Prima's head, giving out a squawk.

"Joltik, use Slash!"

"Dodge it Screech!"

Screech jumped out of the way of Joltik's swiping attack, before parachuting back down with his wings.

"Now use Ancient Power!"

Screech hurled two large rocks at the Joltik, knocking it out.

"Joltik, return! Get out there Klink! Use Charge Beam!"

"Screech, fall back! Ruff, use Take Down!"

The electric attack from the Klink missed Screech as he scrambled away just in time. Ruff jumped in and hit the gearlike Pokemon with an attack, taking recoil damage in the process.

"Klink, use Thundershock!"

"Ruff, dodge it and use Crunch!"

Ruff ran, dodging each attempted electric shock before leaping up and biting down hard on the Steel-type.

Klink was down and N returned it to its Pokeball. Scowling, he sent out a tiny, sucker mouthed fish that floated in the air.

"You're my last chance, friend," N whispered, "use Thundershock!"

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss endured the electric shock from the Tynamo just in time to send a wave of leaves after it. The electric fish was hit hard and fell to the ground. N returned it, sorrow and disappointment in his eyes.

"My friends getting hurt..." said N softly, "That's what a Pokemon battle is..."

"Hey, N..." began Touya, but N brushed him aside.

"Why?" he asked, "Why is it impossible for me to win while feeling bad about being a trainer? As if I could pursue my ideals with something as meaningless as a battle! As if that could make me worthy to become friends with the legendary Pokemon!"

"N, look," said Touya, "this is getting us nowhere! I don't want to fight you any more than you want to fight me. Why can't we just talk about this stuff?"

N glared at him.

"Excuse me," said a voice. Touya and N turned to see the doctor who was being interrogated by Regina and Hanover looking at them with a smile, "I felt like maybe your Pokemon needed some healing. Mind if I...?"

"By all means," said N calmly.

"Thank you sir," said Touya.

"Please," said the doctor as he began healing their Pokemon, "call me Wayne."

Touya once again found himself sitting down and not speaking to N as Wayne healed their Pokemon. He felt annoyed that he didn't seem to be getting any actual answers from N. Even this talk of legendaries and ideals and whatnot only served to confuse him. He needed to figure out what made N think all of this stuff. Did it have something to do with that Ghetsis character?

The doctor returned N and Touya's Pokemon after healing them before taking his leave with his Swadloon. 

"Oh, and kid," said Wayne smiling, "You're in for a surprise with your Herdier and Archen, very soon..."

Touya was about to question that but was promptly interrupted...

"Touya!"

Touya turned around at the sound of Bianca's voice. She, Professor Juniper and Juliet had arrived, the last of the three panting with irritation.

"Touya, please stop running off!"

"Sorry, Juliet," said Touya, chuckling.

"Oh, hello N," said Professor Juniper, "Touya told me about you!"

"Professor Juniper, what are you thinking?" said N, looking a bit upset, "You appear to have no qualms about the relationship between Pokemon and people. You put Pokemon into categories using arbitrary rules and think you can understand them like that...that is why the very idea of a Pokedex revolts me. What do you have to say for yourself?"

Touya looked at N in surprise. It seemed as though he had wanted to get that out for a while. The Professor looked equally surprised at this.

"Oh, my," said Professor Juniper, "looks like you're not my biggest fan. Your opinion is understandable. It happens to be different from mine, which is equally understandable. How about if all people get to decide for themselves how to relate to Pokemon?"

It was now N's turn to look confused, as if what Professor Juniper said was a completely foreign concept to him. Turning away, he said "In any case, I will not tolerate a world where Pokemon continue to suffer...the world you are tolerating."

"But that's not-" said Touya, but N cut him off.

"That is why I must change the world. We'll meet again, Touya. Farewell."

With that, he vanished back into the cave. Touya paused and noticed that N had left the Pokemon he caught behind. They were conscious again, but also out of their Pokeballs. The Joltik, Ferroseed and Boldore had already left, but the Tynamo and the Klink remained behind, looking uncertain. Touya paused and then glanced at Professor Juniper, Bianca and Juliet.

"I'm sure it's okay, Touya," said Professor Juniper, "N appears to have released them, after all. In the meantime, we've found the cave's exit, so we're ready to leave when you are!"

Touya smiled and pulled out two Pokeballs. 

\----

_Tynamo_  
_Tad_  
_Chargestone Cave_  
_Impish Nature_  
_Met at Level 27_  
_Loves to eat_

_Klink_  
_Gigi_  
_Chargestone Cave_  
_Naughty Nature_  
_Met at Level 25_  
_Capable of taking hits_

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to save time by having the Tynamo and Klink I caught be the ones N released.


	27. Character Profiles - Team Bianca

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So I've noticed that I've been posting a new character profile every three chapters, so this makes me think that I should post the one for Bianca now! The next one will be N and after that I don't know if I'm gonna do anymore character profiles, excluding the updated "Endgame" ones I'll be putting just before the finale. The thing is, I wanted one for the teams of all the "main" characters (that is, Touya, Cheren, Bianca, N, Professor Juniper, Alder and Ghetsis, Juliet being excluded as she's not _technically_ a canon character). But Alder's full team won't be making an appearance, I don't think Professor Juniper even has one (barring that Minccino she has) and I just don't want to do one about Ghetsis. So, I think it'll just be the four main youths--Touya, Cheren, Bianca and N.
> 
> Oh, and N's will have a lot of censorship, partly because of spoilers, and partly because I feel like messing with you guys ;P
> 
> The next chapter will feature the arrival in Mistralton City and Touya meeting a certain someone you'll never expect...
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

**Name:** Bianca Blanchard  
 **Age:** 16  
 **Gender:** Female   
**Race:** Unovan  
 **Eye Color:** Green  
 **Hair Color:** Blonde  
 **Birthplace:** Undella Town  
 **Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
 **Occupation:** Student of Professor Juniper, Pokemon trainer  
 **Relationships:** Mr. Blanchard (father), Mrs. Blanchard (mother), Touya Black (friend), Cheren Noir (friend, crush), Hilda Black (friend), Professor Juniper (mentor, friend)  
 **Marital status:** Single  
 **Current Pokemon Team:** Bubbles (Dewott), Lillian (Herdier), Shaula (Munna), Frying Pan (Pansear)  
 **Goal:** None, yet

 **Name:** Bubbles  
 **Species:** Samurott  
 **Growth Stage:** Dewott  
 **Level:** 28  
 **Gender:** Male  
 **Nature:** Serious  
 **Characteristic:** Strongly defiant  
 **Ability:** Torrent  
 **Hidden Ability:** Shell Armor  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
 **Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Lillian (friend, crush), Shaula (friend), Frying Pan (friend)  
 **Marital status:** Single, attracted to Lillian  
 **Current Moveset:** Water Pulse, Revenge, Razor Shell, Fury Cutter  
 **Goal:** To protect Bianca

 **Name:** Lillian  
 **Species:** Stoutland  
 **Growth Stage:** Herdier  
 **Level:** 26  
 **Gender:** Female  
 **Nature:** Hardy  
 **Characteristic:** Highly persistent  
 **Ability:** Intimidate  
 **Hidden Ability:** Scrappy  
 **Birthplace:** Route 1  
 **Hometown:** Route 1  
 **Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend, crush), Shaula (friend), Frying Pan (friend), Sylvester (rival), Prima (friend)  
 **Marital status:** Single, attracted to Bubbles  
 **Current Moveset:** Helping Hand, Take Down, Work Up, Crunch  
 **Goal:** To help the team

 **Name:** Shaula  
 **Species:** Musharna  
 **Growth Stage:** Musharna  
 **Level:** 26  
 **Gender:** Female  
 **Nature:** Calm  
 **Characteristic:** Nods off a lot  
 **Ability:** Forewarn  
 **Hidden Ability:** Telepathy  
 **Birthplace:** Dreamyard  
 **Hometown:** Striaton City  
 **Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend), Lillian (friend), Frying Pan (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Cyrus (friend)  
 **Marital status:** Single  
 **Current Moveset:** Defense Curl, Lucky Chant, Psybeam, Hypnosis  
 **Goal:** None, yet

 **Name:** Frying Pan  
 **Species:** Simisear  
 **Growth Stage:** Pansear  
 **Level:** 26  
 **Gender:** Male  
 **Nature:** Relaxed  
 **Characteristic:** Takes plenty of siestas  
 **Ability:** Gluttony  
 **Hidden Ability:** Blaze  
 **Birthplace:** Breeder House  
 **Hometown:** Striaton City  
 **Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend), Lillian (friend), Sea Monkey (cousin), Cyrus (cousin)  
 **Marital status:** Single  
 **Current Moveset:** Yawn, Bite, Flame Burst, Amnesia  
 **Goal:** To enjoy himself


	28. Mistralton City and Celestial Tower

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So we have some introductions in this one, including Anthea, Concordia, Cedric Juniper and Gym Leader Skyla. Also, Skyla discovers something...strange, on top of the tower.
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

N heaved a sigh as he leaned back in the newest Team Plasma hideout. He planned on going to battle the Mistralton Gym, but he was still frustrated with Touya and his situation with him.

Touya...he clearly loved Pokemon...he clearly cared about them and wanted to know more about them...for all intents and purposes, he should join Team Plasma. He should want them to be a part of their organization.

But he doesn't. He doesn't want to join the path that will take down the oppressive system. He seems to want the system to stay as it is, which was wrong, or at least, N had always been told it was wrong.

It confused and infuriated him.

"N?"

N turned around to see two young women, a bit older than him, one with blond hair and one with pink, both with a Swoobat on their shoulders. They were Anthea and Concordia, and they were N's surrogate sisters.

"Hello, dear sisters..."

Anthea, the pink-haired one, smiled and said "Hello to you, N."

"Is there something wrong?" asked Concordia, the blond-haired one. 

"Yes," said N, softly, "It's about Touya."

"The Hero of Truth?" asked Anthea.

"Yes. I don't understand him at all. He says he loves Pokemon, yet he still insists on training them. It makes no sense."

Anthea's Swoobat fluttered over to N, smiling and squeaking as she perched on his arm. Touya smiled softly and petted her fur.

"If only humans were as easy to understand as Pokemon are." he said, smiling.

"Oh, that's it!" said Anthea.

"Huh?" asked N.

"You've only been trying to speak to Touya," said Concordia, "you should try talking to his Pokemon instead."

N paused at this, and then smiled again. Why hadn't he thought of that before?

"Thank you, sisters," said N, hugging both of them, "you're the best."

With that, N took his leave.

\----

Touya, Bianca, Juliet and Professor Juniper exited the cave and arrived in Mistralton City.

"We're gonna head off, Touya," said Bianca, smiling, "Professor Juniper's dad lives around here!"

"Alright," said Touya, "I'm gonna go to the Pokemon Center to stock up on healing items. See you later!"

"See ya!"

At the center, Touya bought some Full Restores, thinking they'd be helpful in the battle against Skyla.

"What's the plan for dealing with Skyla, Touya?" asked Juliet.

"Breezy and Screech. I think they'll be the ones doing most of the work."

"Really?" asked Juliet, "Won't that be a little redundant?"

"With Breezy, I mostly want to see what would happen if I pit him against another bird. Screech has a type-advantage."

"Ohh."

"Hello there, Touya!"

Touya and Juliet both turned to see a thin, balding man that Touya recognized as Professor Juniper's father.

"Hello Professor Juniper...senior."

"Please, Touya, call me Cedric!" said the man, smiling, "Mind if I check your Pokedex? It might be due for an upgrade!"

"Oh, of course!" said Touya, smiling as he handed it to the Professor. 

"Oh my," said Cedric, "You've captured a Klink! My daughter is fascinated by those! There we go, the upgrade is done! Some Pokemon can change forms even when it's the same individual. If you have already seen a form, you can check it with this whenever you want. I also added a function to make searching easier." 

"Thanks Prof- Ah, Cedric."

"Professor!" called out a woman's voice.

Touya looked up to see a young woman with red hair, a revealing blue outfit and a _very_ ample bust--not typically something Touya would notice at first, but this time it was hard to ignore--arrived and smiled up at Professor Juniper's father. Touya recognized this woman as Skyla, the Mistralton Gym Leader.

"Hey there, Professor," said Skyla, "who is this trainer?"

"Oh, I forgot my manners," said Cedric, chuckling, "Skyla, this is Touya Black, he's one of my daughter's students! He's traveling around Unova hoping to fill the Pokedex!"

"Oh! Nice to meet you, Touya!" said Skyla, shaking Touya's hand, "I bet this means you'll be challenging my gym then? I'm lookin' forward to it!"

Touya blushed and nodded.

"Likewise," said Touya, "um, this is my friend Juliet. She's traveling with me to learn some battle tricks."

"Hi there, Miss Skyla!"

"Why hello to you too, kiddo!" 

"Well," said Cedric, "I better be off, Skyla, call me if something comes up!"

With that, the elder professor left.

"It's hard to believe a happy-go-lucky guy like that could be a world-renowned Pokemon professor," said Skyla, "so just a heads-up, Touya; as a Gym Leader, I'd be happy to have you challenge the Gym, but there's something I need to take care of first."

"What's that?" asked Touya. 

"Just now, as I was flying the cargo plane, I saw something on top of the Celestial Tower. I'm sure that it is a sick Pokemon! If it is, I can't just leave it there! I have to look into this right away. I'm leaving for Route 7's Celestial Tower. You can come along if you want."

"I'll be there," said Touya smiling.

"Me too!" said Juliet.

"Great," said Skyla, "see you there!"

\----

Route seven was filled with very tall grass and had long, thin platforms to walk on. Touya and Juliet had a difficult time walking on these platforms and keeping their balance. The two dropped into the grass more than a few times.

"This is actually kinda fun!" said Juliet with a laugh. Touya nodded in agreement.

"Hey there, you two."

Touya looked up to see an Ace Trainer standing there, with a smirk.

"My name's Elmer. You wanna have a rotation battle with me?"

"Sure," said Touya, standing up.

"Alright, then, let's begin! Liepard, Swoobat, Watchog, get out there!"

The common big cat and large rodent appeared, accompanied with a large, fuzzy bat that Touya recognized as Woobat's adult stage. All three of them were mammals...synapsids. It only seemed fitting to send out his three diapsids.

"Sir Hiss, Breezy, Screech, come on out!"

Sir Hiss was up front, Breezy was to his right and Screech was to his left. In front of Sir Hiss was the Swoobat.

"Swoobat, use Air Slash!" shouted Elmer.

The Swoobat hit Sir Hiss with a sharp wind, prompting an angry hiss from the grass snake.

"Sir Hiss, hit it with a Leaf Tornado!"

The wind of leaves twirled around the bat hitting it, but not dealing super effective damage.

"Swoobat, use Calm Mind!" 

The Swoobat took a deep breath and looked serene as its wings folded. Touya knew that move. It raised the special attack and special defense stats of the user.

"Now rotate!"

Elmer's team rotated and Touya's followed suit. The Liepard and Breezy were now face to face. Breezy smirked. So did the Liepard.

"Liepard, use Hone Claws!"

 _"Crap,"_ thought Touya, _"another stat raising moves..."_

"Breezy, use Fly!"

Breezy soared upward and then swooped down, hitting the Liepard before striking an elegant pose.

"Use Fake Out, Liepard!"

The Liepard ran at Breezy, causing him to flinch, then tapped him lightly with its paw.

"Don't get discouraged, Breezy! Use Air Cutter!"

Breezy sent a sharp wind upon the Liepard.

"Liepard, hit it with Assurance!"

The Liepard hit Breezy hard and knocked him out.

"Breezy, return!" called out Touya, "Prima, get out there!"

Prima burst out next, and the opponent's team rotated to the Swoobat.

"A female Pokemon, eh," said a sneering Elmer, "you made a big mistake kid...Swoobat, use Attract!"

"Oh no..." said Touya, horrified...that move would have involved the bat using pheromones that would attract a Pokemon of the same breeding group and opposite sex. Prima happened to have both of those traits.

Sure enough, the Swoobat used his wings to send a flow of pheromones in Prima's direction. She stared up at him as he looked at her with a charming grin. Prima's eyes sparkled and her face formed into a grin as she stared at the psychic chiropteran with a look of affection and adoration.

Touya sighed irritably, and said "Prima...please, just do something...use Crunch!"

But Prima didn't appear to be listening, she walked closer to the Swoobat, which flew downward, staring into her eyes. The two looked as though they were about to embrace as their faces got closer and closer to each other...

...and then, Prima opened her mouth and bit down hard onto the Swoobat's wing.

Touya and Elmer both gasped in alarm, the Swoobat screeched in pain and Prima slammed it into the ground with a satisfied grin. Touya smiled.

"Go Prima!"

Prima smirked in the direction of her trainer as the teams rotated again, this time Screech going up against Elmer's Watchog.

"It's not over yet, Watchog use Super Fang!"

"Screech, use Ancient Power!"

The Watchog bit down on Screech's tail. Screech squawked in pain and then sent out a large rock that knocked out the Watchog.

"I'm not done yet, dude..." said Elmer.

"I'm counting on it," said Touya grinning.

\----

Skyla made it to Celestial Tower and discovered a Pidove there.

"Hey there little guy," she said, worried, "what's wrong? Are you okay?"

She knelt down to see what was wrong. 

She paused...

Something definitely was wrong...because that wasn't a Pidove.

When the bird looked up at her, she noticed something about its eyes. They were a deep, cold blue. Which was not normal for any Pidove.

And she realized too late that the bird wasn't injured.

The "Pidove" let out an angry squawk and fluttered off. Skyla watched it go, feeling surprised.

"That...that wasn't a Pidove...but if it wasn't a Pidove then...what was it?"

\----

When the battle was done, Sir Hiss and Screech had both leveled up and learned new moves. Sir Hiss learned Giga Drain and Screech learned Dragon Breath. A chuckle escaped the Ace Trainer's lips and he handed Touya a TM.

"I think you earned this," said Elmer, smiling, "it contains Charge Beam."

"Thank you," said Touya, "I'm gonna have to go now, Juliet and I need to meet Skyla at Celestial Tower."

"Yeah," said Juliet, "Bye, dude!"

"Bye!"

\----

Touya has never been to the Celestial Tower before, but he knew what it was it was a cemetery for deceased Pokemon. He kind of wished that he could've buried Z-Stripe there. There were stone coffins all over the place, each with tombstones. Trainers were in the area, grieving. Most of them were Psychics, people who had a deeper tie to the mind and thus, likely knew more about the state of things in death.

After Touya allowed a friendly nurse to heal up his Pokemon, he and Juliet headed to the top of the tower and met Skyla in front of the giant bell.

"Oh, you came. Thank you!" said Skyla, happily.

"Hey, Skyla," said Touya, "where is the injured Pokemon?"

"Oh," said Skyla, looking a bit surprised, "uh, don't worry about it. It's fine now! I gave it a Max Revive, then it felt better and flew away! Heh heh!"

Touya couldn't help but notice that she sounded a bit nervous.

"Don't I have great eyesight?" she said, apparently trying to change the subject, "No matter how far away things are, a Pilot's eyes can see them!"

"Heh, that's good."

"So what should we do now?" asked Juliet.

"Well," said Skyla, "since you've come this far, why don't you ring the bell? Celestial Tower's bell is for soothing the spirits of Pokemon. Also, the character of the person ringing the bell is reflected in its sound."

Touya smiled. He wasn't a superstitious person, but he figured it'd make the trip up the tower a little bit more worth it.

Walking over to the Bell, Touya pulled the rope and the bell gave a loud chiming. He sighed, finding himself thinking about Z-Stripe. The bell's peaceful chimes should have probably helped his grief, but all it did was reignite it.

"Hey, Touya?"

Touya turned to look at Skyla, who was smiling.

"I think there's someone who wants to speak to you..."

Touya turned around and saw a Blitzle looking at him. A Blitzle with a distinctly transparent appearance.

Touya's eyes widened and he stared at the Blitzle in shock.

"Z-Stripe..."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WAT A TWIST!
> 
> I wanted to get this updated before tomorrow, when my family and I will be doing a lot of moving packing due to us officially moving into our new house. I won't be able to write much during that time. It doesn't help that I'm going back to school on the 21st -_-


	29. The Jet Badge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Hope you all enjoyed the Eclipse! School is in session now, so updates may be a little more sporadic, but I'm not quitting anytime soon! 
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

Touya stared at Z-Stripe in shock. She was there, granted she appeared to be a spirit at the time. Ghost-type Pokemon were common, but Touya had never seen an actual ghost of a Pokemon.

"Z-Stripe," said Touya, walking toward the spirit and lowering down to his knees to face her, "I...I'm so sorry that I couldn't save you..."

Z-Stripe looked at him...and she said, _"It wasn't your fault, Touya."_

"No, it wa-" but before Touya could finish that statement, he gawked in alarm at what he had heard, "YOU CAN TALK!?"

 _"Only as a spirit,"_ said Z-Stripe, _"and I don't think it was your fault that I died."_

"But...but I should have tried harder to call you back," said Touya, letting the shock subside a little, "I should've stopped you from fighting that Sandile. I knew it could have hurt you bad and like an idiot I let you fight him anyway!"

 _"And who was the one who refused to go back into the heal ball?"_ asked Z-Stripe, _"It was me. I fell for that stupid reptile's taunt, I let my ego overcome my reason. I knew that Sandile had an advantage too. I should have listened to you and let Burgh's Leavanny deal with it instead."_

Z-Stripe remembered the day vividly, looking back on it...

_"Z-Stripe! Back down!" shouted Touya loudly, trying to return her to her Pokeball._

_"No!" said Z-Stripe, despite knowing that her trainer couldn't understand her, "I want to fight! That stupid crocodile insulted me!"_

_"Z-Stripe," Burgh's Leavanny called out, "you should leave him to me! I have a dual advantage against him! Listen to your trainer and back down before you get hurt!"_

_"NO! I can do this! Just let me do this!"_

"Z-Stripe," said Touya, eyes welling up with tears a little, "you really shouldn't blame yourself...not for something I caused..."

 _"You DIDN'T, though!"_ said Z-Stripe, stomping her front hoof, _"You tried to help me, you tried to call me back! I'M the one who deliberately disobeyed you and paid the price for it! It wasn't your fault!"_

"Well it wasn't yours either!"

"ENOUGH!"

Touya and Z-Stripe looked over to Skyla. Touya had briefly forgotten that she and Juliet were there.

"It was _neither_ of your faults!" said Skyla, firmly, "Burgh told me about what happened, and from what he told me, _neither_ of you were at fault! You were both just trying to protect each other. It was either the fault of that Team Plasma trainer who sent his Sandile after you guys or it was simply a tragic accident where no one was at fault."

Touya and Z-Stripe then looked at each other. Z-Stripe cocked her head to the side and smiled sadly.

 _"Touya,"_ she said, _"I liked you, and the rest of the team. And I wish our time could have lasted longer. But I'm glad we could see each other one last time."_

Touya smiled back and said, "Me too, Z-Stripe. You...you want to say goodbye to the others?"

_"I would like that."_

Touya had let out his other Pokemon. Z-Stripe smiled happily at how far all five of her former comrades had come, while being introduced to Screech for the first time.

"I wonder what they're saying to her!" said Juliet, looking up at Touya.

"I wonder too." said Touya, smiling.

\----

A blue-eyed Pidove watched from a window below their tower, listening to the words of the Pokemon as they spoke to each other.

 _"Sir Hiss!"_ said the Blitzle's spirit, _"You look so regal now!"_

 _"Thank you, Z-Ssssstripe,"_ said the Serperior, _"I have...'bloomed', ssso to sssspeak."_

 _"Ah Hiss,"_ snarked the Watchog, laughing, _"ya otta leave the comedy ta the experts, like me!"_

 _"No offense, sis,"_ said the Herdier, _"but you're not really that funny..."_

 _"HEY! Z-Stripe, did you see how big I got?"_ squeaked the Simipour in a bubbly manner, _"Touya found me a Water Stone when we made it to Castelia!"_

_"That's very neat, Sea Monkey! You look lovely!"_

_"I'll say..."_ added the Herdier with a dreamy sigh.

 _"Notice any thing different about...ME?"_ says the Unfezant in a dramatic voice, accompanied with the sound of wings fanning out.

_"Definitely, Breezy! I love your new feathers and wattles!"_

_"I hope all the lady birds will love 'em too!"_

The Simipour giggles while the Watchog groans.

 _"Hey, who is this?"_ added the Blitzle, most likely to the Archen who makes a panicked squeaking noise.

 _"T-Touya calls me 'Screech',"_ says the Archen, nervously.

 _"Well nice to meet you, Screech!"_ says the Blitzle, _"Sorry we never met in person..."_

_"Uh, th-that's alright..."_

The blue-eyed Pidove listens to the conversation further, listening as all the Pokemon speak to each other like a family...just like the family of the Pidove's...

The Pidove smiles.

\----

"Okay, guys," said Touya as the reunion started to come to a close, "I think it's time for us to wrap this up."

The six Pokemon looked at him and all of them nodded. They each made a different call or sound that Z-Stripe responded to with "Goodbye!" before Touya returned them to their Pokeballs. He then walked over to Z-Stripe and knelt down in front of her.

"I...I guess this is goodbye for us too."

 _"Touya,"_ said Z-Stripe, _"As long as you remember me, I'll never be gone. I'll always be with you, no matter what."_

Touya felt the tears flowing again, but this time he was smiling and wiped them away. "Yeah," he said, "someone else said the same thing..."

He then wrapped his arms around the spirit of his Pokemon and softly said, "Goodbye, Z-Stripe...and thank you..."

_"Goodbye, Touya..."_

With that, Z-Stripe faded away. Touya stood up and turned to look at Skyla.

"And thank you too, Skyla. I didn't realize it, but I definitely needed some closure..."

"You're welcome, Touya," said Skyla, smiling, "When you live in the town with the biggest Pokemon cemetery, you learn a thing or two about comforting the trainers of deceased Pokemon."

"But how did you learn to get spirits into the tower?" asked Juliet as they all headed down to leave.

"I learned it from some Psychics," said Skyla, "they know how to do this kinda thing! So Touya, you wanna challenge the Gym soon?"

"It's getting kinda late now," said Touya, looking up at the sky, "But maybe tomorrow?"

"Okay then! See ya there!"

\----

Touya headed to the hotel, dropped Juliet off at Bianca's room and headed to the room he and Cheren would be staying at. Cheren was already there, splayed out on the bed in his underwear and sleeping soundly. Smiling to himself, Touya changed into his own bedclothes and let his Pokemon out to allow them to find somewhere to sleep. 

Touya got into bed and fell asleep pretty quickly. Sir Hiss slithered onto the bed next to him, while Prima and Ruff jumped onto the bed as well, snuggled close together...before soon being accompanied by Sea Monkey. Breezy nestled himself near the bed, and Screech perched on one of the bedposts, both of them tucking their heads beneath their wings.

\----

_Touya was once again walking along a hallway with large amounts of flags and banners showing the symbol for Team Plasma. It felt the same as last time until Touya noticed something across the way...it was a small silhouette of what he thought might have been a Pokemon._

_It wasn't the same one as that three-headed monster from his other nightmare, instead it was a small mammalian looking creature, vaguely shaped like a fox. The only thing Touya could discern from it was its piercing blue eyes. The rest of its form was shrouded in shadow._

_"This way..." it said. Touya wasn't shocked at it talking. Nothing surprised him anymore at this point._

_Touya knew he was probably being an idiot in following this creature, but after that last dream, he knew it was going to lead him to that room. He has to know what was in that room. Who was in that room._

_The shadowy...Pokemon? Whatever it was, lead Touya along the hall, looking for the room. Soon enough, Touya hears that same music box tune. He heard a woman's voice, unfamiliar and definitely not coming from the Pokemon._

_"Step inside," she said, "see where he was raised in solitude all those years."_

_Touya couldn't take it anymore. He opened the door. The room was bright and nearly blinding. The music was still playing._

_And there was a voice...one that sounded familiar..._

_"Hi there!"_

"AAAAAARCK!!!!"

Touya opened his eyes in alarm. He turned to look at Screech, who smiled helpfully at him. Touya rolled his eyes. He had been woken up again before he could see what it meant.

But hey, it wasn't Screech's fault. He _was_ Touya's weapon of choice for this upcoming Gym battle.

Touya showered, dressed and returned his Pokemon to their Pokeballs.

When Touya arrived at the Gym, Cheren exited the Gym before him and had noticeable bruises.

"Oh my God," said Touya, alarmed at his friend's state, "are you alright!?"

"Yeah, I'm fine," he grumbled, "just a heads up, Skyla has a bunch of cannons in there."

"...Cannons?"

"Yeah...cannons. I'm gonna go check and see if I have any broken bones."

Touya sighed, "See you later, Cheren..."

\----

Sure enough, Cheren was right; Skyla did indeed have cannons in the Gym, all pointing in various directions, in the building styled like an airplane hangar.

"First time battling here, son?"

Touya turned to see a pilot standing beside him at the doorway.

"Yes sir." said Touya.

"Heh, well in that case, take this..."

He handed Touya a helmet. Touya sighed.

\----

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

Touya was sent flying into one of the cushioned walls before sliding down onto the floor and breathing heavily.

"Is this Skyla?" he asked in a daze.

"No," said the pilot standing there, "my name is Chase. Um...would you like to battle?"

"No."

\----

After about six separate attempts, Touya was sent flying at the center wall, right in front of Skyla.

"Ugh, finally," said Touya, "hello Skyla."

"Hey, Touya!" said Skyla, "You like my cannons? They're a fun little prank, aren't they?"

"I respectfully disagree, Skyla..." said Touya, dusting off his clothes.

"Yeah, a few other people said the same. I think six of 'em are in the hospital."

Touya glared at her. Skyla grinned nervously and said "Well let's not waste any more time, you wanna do the battle or not?"

"Yes." groaned Touya.

"Alright then, go Amethyst!"

A Swoobat burst out of Skyla's ball, Squeaking cheerfully. Touya grinned before sending out Screech, who puffed up his plumage with a squawk.

"Alright, Amethyst," called out Skyla, "use Heartstamp!"

The Swoobat fluttered down, twirling around Screech and grinned at him threateningly. Screech panicked and flinched in response...before she simply pressed her heart-shaped nose onto his snout. Flying upward, the Swoobat gave a squeaky giggle and Screech turned to look at Touya with a worried expression.

"Don't give up, Screech, I picked you for a reason! Use Ancient Power!"

Screech turned and sent out a series of rocks from the ground at the Swoobat, knocking her out cold.

"Amethyst, return!" called out Skyla, returning her Swoobat and pulling out another Pokeball, "You're really good, Touya! But I'm just getting warmed up! Go Garnet!"

A female Unfezant, easily recognizable due to her brown plumage and lack of any wattles, stood there stoically eyeing Screech. Screech seemed much more confident now and Touya gave another command.

"Use Ancient Power!"

Screech repeated his previous attack, hitting the Unfezant hard, but this time she managed to hold her ground.

 _"Crap,"_ thought Touya, "that move doesn't have a lot of PP...Skyla still has one more left..."

As Touya was pondering this, Skyla took the opportunity to attack again.

"Garnet, use Quick Attack!"

The Unfezant moved at a blinding speed and hit Screech with some considerable force. Screech glared up at her angrily.

"Screech," said Touya, "use Dragon Breath this time!"

Screech shot out a fearsome, multicolored wave from his mouth, knocking the Unfezant out this time.

"Return, Garnet!" said Skyla, "Well alright then, Touya! Your little Rock Pokemon will absolutely love this part! Go PEARL!"

A new Pokeball was thrown out and opened to reveal a Swanna. Touya cursed to himself...a Water-type...

"Screech, return! Go, Breezy!"

Breezy burst out of the Pokeball and struck a dramatic pose, his wings and tail fanning outward as he let out a trilling noise before looking at his opponent.

"Alright, Breezy," said Touya, "Use Fly!"

Breezy didn't respond.

"Breezy? I said use Fly!"

Again, Breezy didn't respond. Instead, he walked over to the Swanna and stared at her. The Swanna stared back with an angry glare. Breezy continued to stare until suddenly...

POOF! Breezy spread both wings out, posing dramatically yet again. Turning to his side, he flapped his wings and fanned out his tail. Shaking his wattles about, he strutted, stretched and squawked in front of the very confused and alarmed Swanna. Touya was just as confused as she was, staring at the scene before him while Skyla started to giggle.

"What?" asked Touya.

"Oh my God," giggled Skyla, "this is too rich! Touya, do you know what he's doing?"

"No, what's going on?"

"Your Unfezant is doing a _courtship_ dance!"

"WHAT!?"

"He's flirting with my Swanna!" shouted Skyla, unable to contain herself any longer and bursting into hysterical laughter.

"ARGH!" shouted Touya, furiously, "Breezy! Stop flirting and start fighting!"

"Brroo?" said Breezy, looking at Touya in confusion.

"Now's your chance Pearl!" shouted Skyla, between laughs, "Use Aerial Ace!"

The Swanna let out an angry honk and swiped at Breezy twice with her wings. Breezy turned to look at her in a daze, and Touya shook his head. If this was how Breezy was going to act in this fight, he would offer no benefit competitively. He returned Breezy and decided to take the risk for Screech.

"Screech, use Ancient Power again!"

Screech used the move in question, and predictably its strength was halved due to the Swanna's Water-type. 

"You got this, Pearl!" shouted Skyla, "Use Bubblebeam!"

The Swanna did a graceful twirl, almost as if she was dancing, as she sent a series of bubbles flowing from her long pointed beak. They all but consumed Screech, all covering his entire body until he was little more than a huge pile of bubbles...and then one-by-one, they popped loudly, stinging him in the process.

"Screech!" shouted Touya, worried. That was a Water-type move, super effective against Rock-types.

But to Touya's surprise, the bubbles cleared to reveal a giant, egg-shaped stone in place of Screech. Touya was confused at first, thinking that perhaps Screech might have learned a new move, but then the rock shattered to reveal a very _different_ looking Screech underneath.

He was almost as tall as Touya himself now, and his body was much rounder. His neck was longer, his snout shorter and his eyes sharper and more menacing. His tail stuck straight out and his wings were bigger and more aerodynamic looking. His legs were no longer scaly, but instead covered in long, winglike feathers while the claws on his feet had grown larger and more sickle-like. The blue feathers on his head were replaced with green scutes. Touya stared with astonishment. Skyla smiled. The Swanna looked shocked. Screech was no longer an Archen. Now, he was an Archeops!

Touya's mouth twitched before curling into a smile.

"Alright," he said, happily, "now I know we've got this! Screech, use Dragon Breath!"

Screech sneered and opened his mouth wide before sending another wave of fiery breath at the frightened Swanna. The Swanna shrieked as the attack not only injured it, but also paralyzed it.

"Now finish it, Screech! Use Ancient Power!"

He knew it wouldn't be as strong, but now he was confident in the fact that it would work just well enough to knock the Swanna out. The Swanna twitched, attempting to flap her wings in a futile effort to get away, but Screech now had the upper hand. The rocks burst from the ground and slammed into the Swanna, knocking her out cold.

"Pearl, return!" called out Skyla, "Great job, Touya! Here's the Jet Badge, as well as my favorite TM, Acrobatics!"

Touya smiled as he took both of the items given to him and placed them in his bag before petting Screech to congratulate him on evolving.

"I remember when my Archen evolved," chuckled Skyla, "sweet little Peridot finally learned how to fly, even if she wasn't so good at it."

Touya smiled. He was immediately happy to learn that Screech could fly now.

"You know, Elesa told me you were kind of a sore loser!"

"Ugh...You know her?"

"She's my girlfriend!"

"Ah, right. Well, I better be going. What's the fastest route to the door?"

"This cannon right here!"

"Ugh, great. More cannons..."

\----

After Touya was sent flying at a wall for the seventh time that day, he exited to find that it was already night. He must have spent much longer trying to traverse those cannons.

"Hi there!"

Touya jumped at the voice and turned around to see a very familiar face standing next to the door.

It was N.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> To explain the scene where all the Pokemon are talking to Z-Stripe's ghost, I wanted there to be at least one scene wherein Team Touya's voices are heard. Just FYI, Prima and Ruff both have southern accents XD


	30. Secrets and Lies

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Welcome back!  
> I told you school would probably get in the way of the upload schedule, but don't worry, I'm not ending this anytime soon. Now I have this and, because I've been doing it every three chapters so far, N's character profile, which will be uploaded tomorrow. It's a doozy, though...you'll see what I mean...
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

Touya stared in alarm at N's presence on the scene. He was just standing there, smiling serenely as he leaned against the wall. Touya sighed and said, "What are you doing here?"

"I just want to talk," said N, grinning.

"What do you want to talk about _this_ time?"

"I don't want to talk to you."

Touya glanced up at N, only now remembering that N was about a head taller than him.

"Then why did you stop me outside of the Gym?"

"I want to talk...to your Pokemon."

Touya paused at this statement. He recalled that N claimed to be able to talk to Pokemon. Cheren didn't believe him and Touya couldn't say he disagreed. Very few humans could understand the speech of Pokemon. The other way around was considerably more common, including Pokemon that could mimic human speech, such as Chatot, Meowth and Gardevoir as well as psychic Pokemon who could communicate through telepathy. But humans who could communicate with Pokemon were practically unheard of.

"N...you think you can talk to Pokemon. Why is that?"

"I don't _think_ , I _know_. And the reason I know is because I've spent my whole life around them. I understand them. They understand me."

Touya rolled his eyes and said "No thank you, I'm not gonna enable your delusion."

"You don't believe me, do you?" said N, wearing a very coy grin. Touya could tell that he had anticipated that.

"No, I don't."

"Well then I'll prove it," said N, "let out one of your Pokemon and I'll talk to them."

"That won't prove anything," said Touya, "anyone can say that they can talk to Pokemon-"

"You didn't let me finish," interrupted N, "you let one of your Pokemon out and let me ask them something thay only you would know."

Touya paused, and considered it. Sighing, he said "Alright. Sir Hiss, come out."

Sir Hiss emerged from his Pokeball and N smiled upon seeing him in his final form.

"Ah. Your Serperior is fully grown now, and he's looking healthy."

"N, will you just prove your point already?"

"Very well. Hello Sir Hiss."

"Ssss," Sir Hiss responded.

"Now is there something Touya has ever told you that only you two would know?"

Sir Hiss paused and turned to look at Touya. There was a secret Touya had told him, sometime back when he was a Servine, while they were at a hotel...

_"Hey Sir Hiss, can you keep a secret?"_

_"Ssssss?"_

_"Ah, who am I kidding. Of course you can. Okay, here it is. I've never told anyone except Bianca and Cheren..."_

Sir Hiss tilted his head, worried about saying anything to this human named N. He knew Touya didn't trust him. But to Sir Hiss' surprised, Touya grinned.

"Go ahead, tell 'im. He won't understand you anyway."

If Sir Hiss still had shoulders he would have shrugged. He then turned to N and gave a few hisses.

Touya stood in silence, smirking confidently as N responded to Sir Hiss' calls with a "yes", an "uh-huh", a few "indeeds"...Touya was almost certain that he'd already been proven right...

And then N chuckled and said, "So...your middle name is Hilbert?"

Touya's eyes went wide with shock.

"How did you-" he sputtered, but then realization dawned on him and he looked at his Pokemon, "S-Sir Hiss?"

Sir Hiss just gave a sheepish grin and nodded as N smiled. Touya was dumbstruck.

After a pause, Touya thought about the situation some more and said "Alright, I believe you."

N smiled in response and leaned against the wall, before turning to look at Sir Hiss again and saying "So, Sir Hiss, what do you think of Touya as a trainer?"

"Sssss," said Sir Hiss, flicking his forked tongue out as he did so. N blinked and looked a tiny bit surprised at what Sir Hiss said.

"Okay, okay, I think I got it," said N, smiling, "so Touya was born in Nuvema Town, lives with his mother, Akiko. His father, Angus, is a scientist. And his sister, Hilda, lives in Nimbasa City. He was given the Pokedex to start off a journey to see the world."

Touya tensed slightly. That was a bit more information than he would have expected Sir Hiss to divulge, especially the mention of his family.

"Still," continued N smiling sincerely in Touya's direction, "this Serperior trusts you a lot for some reason. And that's good! If every person and Pokemon cared about one another like you two do, I could watch over the future of people and Pokemon without having to liberate Pokemon from people who just use them."

Touya looked at Sir Hiss and the two exchanged smiles. He had to admit, it felt good to hear someone as against training as N to compliment him and his relationship with his Pokemon in such a way. 

"You and Sir Hiss may be able to stay together after all this."

Touya sighed and said, "N, will you please stop being so secretive. What exactly is 'this'? Is it the liberation nonsense you keep babbling about?"

To Touya's surprise, N paused and gave a slightly uncomfortable look.

"I apologize, Touya," said N, "I'm gonna have to keep some more secrets from you, but not for very long hopefully."

"Okay," said Touya, conceding defeat on that point as he petted Sir Hiss' head, "what CAN you tell me?"

"Ghetsis is using Team Plasma to search for some special stones--the Light Stone and the Dark Stone...these stones hold the essence of two legendary Pokemon. It is said that when they lost their physical form, they fell into a slumber and were transformed. Now, they wait for the hero's arrival...I shall resurrect Zekrom from the Dark Stone, and become its friend."

"I take it that I'll have to obtain the Light Stone?"

"Yes. That one contains Reshiram's essence. Any more questions?"

Touya paused, and said "What's your name?"

"...It's N."

"No it's not, it can't be."

N looked uncomfortable, and to Touya's surprise, a little embarrassed. Picking up on this, Touya added "Hey, you found out MY embarrassing name! C'mon, it can't be much worse than 'Hilbert'!"

"Oh," said N, jumping up, "I hear one of my Pokemon friends calling out for me! I must take my leave, Touya. We'll see each other again soon."

With that, N ran off. Touya looked at Sir Hiss, who just shook his head in response as the two headed back to the hotel.

\----

"Hey Touya!" said Bianca as Touya entered the hotel room, holding a pizza slice, "We got dinner!"

"Cool," said Touya, smiling as he and Sir Hiss entered the room. Cheren was sitting at a table with a plate and eating a pizza slice of his own while Sylvester sat next to him, eating his own food. Juliet was seated nearby, eating as well while her Petilil and Cottonee sat on either side of her, also eating. Touya sat down and took a slice for himself as Sir Hiss stretched and flicked his long forked tongue out.

"So, did you take on Skyla?" asked Cheren, smirking.

"Yes," said Touya, grinning back at him, "and afterward, I met N."

"N?" asked Bianca, looking alarmed, "The leader of Team Plasma?"

"What did _he_ want?" said Juliet angrily.

"He just wanted to talk this time...to Sir Hiss instead of me."

"Oh yeah, I forgot," said Cheren, "N thinks he can talk to Pokemon."

"Yeah...turns out he's right."

"No way," said Cheren, "it's impossible for a human to understand Pokemon!"

"Unless they're telepathic or capable of mimicry," added Bianca, "but that's a rare ability for many Pokemon."

"Well, N somehow managed to figure out my middle name by asking Sir Hiss."

"Wait...REALLY!?" asked Cheren, looking extremely shocked.

"You mean Sir Hiss told him that your middle name is Hilbert!?" said Bianca sharing Cheren's shocked reaction.

"Your middle name is _HILBERT!?_ " cackled Juliet.

"Yes," groaned Touya, glaring at the now exuberantly laughing preschooler, "and it means 'magnificent in battle' in Middle English, you know."

"It still sounds silly!" said Juliet through her giggles.

"Anyway, Sir Hiss evidently told him that, as well as several other facts about my life."

"...Like _what_ facts, exactly?" asked Cheren.

"Where I was born...my parents...my sister..."

"Touya!" said Bianca, looking frightened.

"What?"

"You told him all that personal stuff?" asked Cheren, angrily, "You've basically HANDED Team Plasma the location of your family!"

"What do you-" began Touya before the realization dawned on him, "Oh...Oh Arceus I'm an idiot..."

"And if he knows where you live, he probably knows where our families live!" said Cheren, "Thanks a lot Touya, he's probably sending grunts over there right now!"

"Hey, it's not my fault," said Touya, "Sir Hiss is the one who told him!"

"SSSS!?" said Sir Hiss, blanching at Touya.

"Besides, I don't think N would stoop so low as to threaten our families!"

"HE'S THE _LEADER OF TEAM PLASMA_!" shouted Cheren, "Of course he would!"

"But the conversation I had with him-"

"You honestly think that he couldn't have been _lying!?_ "

"ALRIGHT, that is _enough_!" shouted Bianca, instinctively sensing that a fight was going to break out and putting herself between them. Cheren cooled down instantly, though still looked angry. Touya calmed himself as well, letting his own boiling anger settle down as well.

"Now listen," said Bianca, entering into her "mom mode", as Touya often called it, "Now Touya, if N is really that dangerous than it would have been a good idea to NOT give him that information. But..."

"But?" asked Cheren.

"What did he say to you during that conversation?"

"He...He said that Sir Hiss trusted me, and that I'll be able to keep him after whatever it is Team Plasma is planning succeeds. That's all he said. He showed no interest in my home life."

"And you believed him?" asked Cheren.

"Yes," said Touya, "look, I KNOW it sounds crazy, but I think I can trust N."

Cheren rolled his eyes. Bianca sighed and said "Well, Touya, I can't say I agree with that, but you always were a good judge of character."

Touya smiled. Cheren shook his head.

"Well I suppose that's true, but I'll still have my eye on that creepazoid."

Juliet giggled and Bianca sighed.

"Well, it's getting late," said Bianca, "Juliet, you wanna head over to our room?"

"Sure!" said Juliet jumping down before returning her Pokemon to their Pokeballs, "G'night guys!"

"See ya, ladies," said Cheren smiling.

"See you guys tomorrow!" said Touya as the girls left.

"Sylvester, return," said Cheren, returning his Liepard to his Pokeball.

"I'm sorry, Cheren," said Touya, "I understand your worries, but I'm confident that N is trustworthy."

"Sure, Touya," said Cheren offhandedly, unbuttoning his shirt and shrugging it off for bed, before undoing the latch on his belt, "look, I still think I have a right to be worried, but Bianca is right. You always were a good judge of character. Remember that time we first met that Kalosian intern with Professor Juniper and I thought he was some kind of old perv?"

Touya chuckled as he changed into his pajamas and said "Yeah, and based on what Bianca said, you might not have been THAT far off..."

"But you knew he was a good guy," said Cheren, stepping out of his trousers, "just a little eccentric."

Touya smiled, letting his Pokemon out so they can find places to sleep.

"Well, just to be safe," said Cheren, flopping on his bed, "I'll call my parents."

"So will I," said Touya, "and maybe my sister..."

\----

"Hey mom," said Touya, into his XTransceiver, "how are you and dad doin'?"

"Hello, Touya!" said Akiko, "I'm fine and so is your father! Oh, Angus, come to the phone, Touya's calling!"

"Oh," said Angus Black, heading to the phone, "hello son! How are you doing?"

"I'm fine," said Touya, "has Hilda spoken to you guys lately?"

"Yes," said Akiko, "she just got off before you got on, talking about how great she is!"

"That figures," said Touya, "I'm in Mistralton City."

"Already?" said Angus, surprised.

"You’ve gone quite far!" said Akiko, "Say, how are your Pokemon? You can’t get that far all by yourself, you know?"

"Of course!" said Touya, smiling as he let his thoughts calm.

"Don’t forget to take care of them! Am I being too serious?"

"No, no..." said Touya sighing, "I might be though. I just wanted to talk to you. I'm going to bed now, talk to you later."

"Well, okay then. Take care! ‘Senior Trainers Mom and Dad’ signing off!"

"Bye son!"

With that, they hung up. Touya smiled. He could at least be confident that they were both safe. And Hilda was too...they he wasn't sure how much he considered that a good thing. He looked at Cheren who was lying in his bed, putting his glasses on the night stand. Touya's Pokemon were already asleep. Touya stretched and yawned before lying down on his own bed and drifting off to sleep.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Touya's name reveal was inspired by a post I found on Tumblr once XD


	31. Character Profiles - Team N

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> N's character profile! And there's a LOOOOT of censorship in it!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

**Name:** N██████ ███████ Harmonia  
**Age:** 17  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Unknown  
**Eye Color:** Green  
**Hair Color:** Green  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Occupation:** ~~Unknown~~ Leader of Team Plasma  
**Relationships:** Sage Ghetsis ████████ (██████), Sage Rood (mentor), Anthea (sister), Concordia (sister)  
**Marital status:** Unknown  
**Current Pokemon Team:** ██████ (███████), ██████ (█████████), ██████ (████████), ██████ (█████████), ████-████ (█████████)  
**Goal:** ~~Unknown~~ To liberate Pokemon

 **Name:** ██████  
**Species:** ███████  
**Growth Stage:** ███████  
**Level:** ██  
**Gender:** ████  
**Nature:** Rash  
**Characteristic:** Mischievous  
**Ability:** ████████  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer), [FURTHER DATA EXPUNGED]  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** █████ █████, ████████████, █████ █████, █████████  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** ██████  
**Species:** ████████  
**Growth Stage:** ████████  
**Level:** ██  
**Gender:** ████  
**Nature:** Hasty  
**Characteristic:** Strong willed  
**Ability:** █████████  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer), [FURTHER DATA EXPUNGED]  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** ██████████, ██████ ████, █████ ████, ██████  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** ██████  
**Species:** ██████████  
**Growth Stage:** ██████████  
**Level:** ██  
**Gender:** ████  
**Nature:** Bold  
**Characteristic:** Good endurance  
**Ability:** ██████  
**Hidden Ability:** █████ ████  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer) [FURTHER DATA EXPUNGED]  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** ████ ███, █████████, █████ ████, ██████  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** ██████  
**Species:** █████████  
**Growth Stage:** █████████  
**Level:** ██  
**Gender:** ████  
**Nature:** Jolly  
**Characteristic:** Scatters things often  
**Ability:** ███ ████  
**Hidden Ability:** ████ █████  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer) [FURTHER DATA EXPUNGED]  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** █████ ██████, ████████, ████, █████ ██████  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** ████-████  
**Species:** █████████  
**Growth Stage:** █████████  
**Level:** ██  
**Gender:** ████  
**Nature:** Calm  
**Characteristic:** Alert to sounds  
**Ability:** ████  
**Hidden Ability:** █████ ████  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer) [FURTHER DATA EXPUNGED]  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** ███████████, █████ ██████, █████ ████, █████ █████  
**Goal:** To protect N

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I hope that wasn't too disappointing. I wanted N to have a lot of mystery surrounding him. Don't worry, there WILL be an uncensored version when we reach the final stretch!


	32. Outside of Twist Mountain

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey everyone! Here we'll finally see Ghetsis again and Cheren gets a pep talk!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

"Excuse me, Ghetsis..."

Ghetsis scowled as he turned to look at Zinzolin and his young assistant arrived in his quarters at Team Plasma's hideout. His assistant was a small, thin man with blond hair that had bluish bangs. He was dressed in a black and white suit.

"What do you two want?" hissed Ghetsis, glaring at them. Zinzolin stood his ground, his assistant flinched slightly.

"We have received intelligence that N and the Hero of Truth are both preparing to leave Mistralton City," said Zinzolin calmly, "Touya will be taking the seventh Route and then going to Icurrus City. N is planning to take a shortcut."

"Hmm...I see," said Ghetsis, grinning, "is the Hero of Truth aware of the little get-together we intend to have at the Dragonspiral Tower?"

"N-No sir," said Zinzolin's assistant, nervously, "the Shadow Triad informed us that N spoke with one of Touya's Pokemon, but he didn't divulge any sensitive information..."

Ghetsis rolled his eyes with a groan. _"Typical of that idiot boy, stopping to exchange idle prattle with a Pokemon instead of getting anything done..."_

"Any further orders, sir?" asked Zinzolin.

"Hmm...bring N to me when the Dragonspiral Tower mess is over and done with. I'd like to have a little chat with him over his little pit stop. He's getting a little too invested with the holder of the Light Stone."

"A-Anything else, sir?" asked the assistant.

"No. That will be all, you are both dismissed."

"Very well," said Zinzolin, before turning to his assistant, "come along, Colress."

"Y-Yes sir..."

\----

Touya woke up, showered, dressed and packed up to leave the hotel. He intended to meet Cheren at the opening to Twist Mountain.

Bianca and Juliet were both in the lobby and they waved to Touya as he approached them. 

"Hey Touya!" said Bianca, "Cheren said that he has something important to say at Twist Mountain!"

"Really?" asked Touya, "You think it has to do with Team Plasma?"

"Most likely," said Bianca.

"Excuse me, mister?"

The trio turned to see a boy, somewhere around eight years old, looking at them.

"Did you defeat Skyla?" asked the boy.

"Yes, I did," said Touya smiling, "why?"

The boy smiled back and said "Well then you should go to the Cargo Port runway! My sister and I left a treasure there for you!"

With that, the boy left, leaving Touya and the girls extremely confused.

\----

"I don't see it!" said Juliet.

"Neither do I," said Bianca, sighing, "there aren't many places to hide something in anyway."

"Touya," said Juliet, "I think you've been scammed."

Touya didn't want to admit it, but he was beginning to think so as well. But then, he noticed something gleaming in the corner of the Cargo Port. He ran over to it and looked down to see a disc contained in a case. The disc had the label "TM40 - Aerial Ace".

"Hey guys!" said Touya, smiling, "I think this is what we're supposed to be looking for!"

Bianca and Juliet headed over to Touya and saw the Technical Machine in Touya's hand.

"Wow!" said Juliet.

"Ah! The little kid gave you Aerial Ace!" said Bianca, "That's a great move!"

"What's it do?" asked Juliet.

"It's a Flying-type move that never misses. The Pokemon who uses it confounds the opponent with speed and then slash at it."

"Hmm...why is it a Flying move?"

"The Flying-type designation simply denotes its emphasis on speed," said Bianca, "flight is not necessary, but it's definitely helpful!"

"Mister!"

Touya, Bianca and Juliet all turned to see the little boy again. He was accompanied by a girl around Juliet's age.

"See, little sis? I told you he'd find our treasure!"

The girl nodded and said "Thanks for finding it! Our dad makes TMs for a living. We like to hide them here for trainers who defeat Skyla as a prize!"

Touya smiled at them and said "Thanks you guys. This should come in handy!"

"You're welcome!" said the two kids in unison. The kids left, waving goodbye to Touya and his friends, who then departed.

"I'm gonna go on ahead," said Bianca, "Professor Juniper is expecting me outside of the next Route!"

"Alright," said Touya, smiling, "see you in Icirrus!"

"See ya, Bianca!"

"Bye guys!"

"Who are we gonna teach that TM to?" asked Juliet.

"Definitely Breezy!" said Touya, opening the container of the disk.

\----

Touya and Juliet continued on to the opening of Twist Mountain, whereupon Cheren was already standing. The mountain's cave opening was connected to a stone flight of stairs.

"Hey Touya, Juliet," called out Cheren from the cave's opening, walking down the stairs to speak to them, "where's Bianca?"

"She went ahead to meet Professor Juniper," said Touya.

"Oh," said Cheren, a hint of disappointment evident in his voice, "well, okay then."

"She told us that you wanted to say something," said Juliet, "what was it?"

"Oh!" said Cheren, "Well Team Plasma was sighted in Icirrus City, so we definitely need to get over there. But first..."

"You want to have a battle, don't you?"

"Yep! I wanna prove that I'm strong enough to fight those wastes of oxygen! Go Skye!"

An Unfezant burst out of the ball. Unlike Breezy, he didn't pose dramatically, instead standing tall and stoic. Touya sent out Screech, who jumped up and down excitedly.

"I see your Archen evolved!" said Cheren, grinning.

"Yep, during the battle with Skyla!"

"Impressive! But I'll still be able to win against him! Skye, use Air Slash!"

Skye sent a swift, sharp wind toward Screech, hitting him and leaving a thin cut.

"Stay calm, Screech," said Touya, "use Ancient Power!"

Screech's wings raised and a series of rocks burst from the ground. He threw it at Skye, who was promptly knocked out.

"Skye, return," called out Cheren, sending his Pokemon back, "get out there, Sylvester!"

The Liepard emerged next, grinning evilly. Screech turned to look at Touya with worry and Touya chuckled, "I understand Screech, return. Now get out there Ruff!"

Ruff burst out, growling at the cat.

"Ruff, use Take Down!"

Ruff ran at Sylvester and slammed into him, hard. Sylvester fell to the ground and tried to stand up.

"Sylvester, use Assurance!"

Sylvester swiped at Ruff with his claws, and Ruff growled.

"Use Crunch Ruff!"

Ruff opened his mouth and bit deep into Sylvester's shoulder.

"Sylvester, come back!" shouted Cheren, returning Sylvester to his Pokeball, "You're doin' better! Go Cyrus!"

A little green monkey emerged from the Pokeball next, and this time, he was a Simisage instead of a Pansage. Touya chuckled and sent out Breezy.

"Let's test out that new move, Breezy! Use Aerial Ace!"

Breezy grinned and spread out his wings, which started to glow. He then zoomed swiftly toward the Simisage and swiped at him said wings, once downward, once upward. The Simisage stared for a moment before collapsing. Cheren looked a little more worried now.

"Okay, let's not worry...Go Abner!"

The Pignite emerged and Touya smiled.

"Breezy, return," he called out, "Ruff, you take things from here again!" he said.

Ruff emerged, growling again. Abner glowered down at him.

"Ruff, use Crunch!"

"Abner, use Rollout!"

Abner curled up into a ball and rolled across the field. Ruff meanwhile opened his mouth and prepared to bite the ball hard. Ruff pressed his teeth down upon the pig, ripping some fur off and sending him rolling backward as he did so.

Abner burst back up and squealed angrily. Ruff growled back at him.

"Abner, use Smog!"

Abner sent out a black cloud of putrid smoke from his nose, and when Ruff smelled it, he was quickly started to get sick. Touya nodded. That move poisoned the opponent.

"Ruff, don't give up! Use Take Down!"

Ruff ran at Abner and hit him in the gut. Abner let out another squeal and snorted out smoke from his nostrils again. Touya smiled in Cheren's direction and Cheren smirked back.

"Use Rollout again, Abner!"

Abner rolled up into a ball and wheeled toward Ruff, hitting him and sending him flying backwards. Ruff gave a snarl.

"Ruff, use another Crunch!"

Ruff ran toward Abner leaped upward and bit onto one of Abner's front hooves. Abner screeched in pain and fell over, Ruff glaring at him.

"Abner!"

"Is he okay?" asked Touya looking surprised.

"Wait, call 'im off, Touya!" said Juliet, "I think this time I see blood!"

Touya called off Ruff and Cheren knelt down to look at his starter in worry.

"Are you okay Abner?" he asked.

Abner gave a snorting chuckle. Cheren sighed, getting out a potion to treat his wound. It was a lot deeper than Touya would've expected.

"Ruff," Touya scolded, "don't bite so hard!"

Ruff hung his head in shame.

\----

The two sat down and let their Pokemon out for some rest and relaxation, allowing Abner some time for his arm to heal. Ruff was chasing his tail, Abner was resting next to Cheren. Breezy and Screech sat next to each other, apparently chatting with each other while Sir Hiss sunned himself on a rock. Prima and Sea Monkey were both napping.

"I'm so sorry, Cheren," said Touya, sadly.

"It's alright, Touya," said Cheren, "you didn't mean to...but..."

"But what?"

"It's just that...I feel like I'm weak! I mean, I keep training harder and harder to reach the Championship and I never get any better! Bianca told me that Sir Hiss is already fully evolved! And now to top it all off, I can't even keep my Pokemon safe? What's wrong with me!?"

"Nothing is wrong, son."

Touya, Cheren and Juliet all turned to see Alder walking toward them, smiling in Cheren's direction.

"That was a fine Pokemon battle, boys," he went on, "I'm happy to see that you are both growing as trainers!"

"Hello, Alder," said Cheren looking up at his idol, "I lost and, honestly, it bothers me when you call it a fine battle despite that..."

"Oh, honestly, Cheren. Just accept the compliment without stinging remark. You're a good trainer! Your Pokemon seem healthy enough!"

"I got Abner injured!" said Cheren.

"Hey Cheren," said Touya, tugging at Cheren's sleeve, "look..."

Cheren turned to look at Ruff and Abner. Ruff was running around in a circle and Abner was blowing smoke out from his nose. Ruff ran around until he was little more than a blurry, black and yellow ring, while Abner was soon surrounded by smoke that blotted out his entire body. Soon, Ruff stopped running and Abner blew the smoke away. Ruff was bigger, with a longer, flowing mustache along his body as his fur cape draped over his entire body, covering his legs. Abner was tall enough to tower over Cheren and had longer more muscular forelegs and a beard made out of fire. No longer were Ruff and Abner a Herdier and a Pignite. Now, they were a Stoutland and an Emboar!

"Yes! Go Ruff!" shouted Touya.

"Abner, you look...great!" said Cheren, a smile forming on his face.

"You see," said Alder, "you are a good trainer! Your Pokemon knows it, he's getting stronger himself! Speaking of, I've asked you this before, but what do you plan to do after becoming strong?"

Cheren thought about it and said, "If I get strong and become a Champion, that will be the reason for my existence. I want to prove that I'm really living."

Alder smiled and asked "Hmmm... You remind me of Marshal." 

"Marshal?" asked Cheren, looking surprised. Marshal was the Fighting-type specialist of the Unovan Elite Four. He was a martial artist who was known for both his Pokemon training skills and physical fighting skills.

"Of course," Alder went on, "having something you want to become is important. But what is even more important is what you do with your newfound power. Anyway, take this!"

He handed them each a disk container that said "HM03 - Surf". Touya smiled as did Cheren.

"Yes! Surf!" said Cheren, smiling. 

"What's Surf?" asked Juliet.

"It's a Hidden Machine that allows your Pokemon to travel across water," said Touya, grinning, "and it can also be used in battle!"

"That's right! And now I need to go. I shall see you again, young trainers. Don't forget about the needs of the Pokemon at your side!"

"We won't!" said Cheren, returning Abner to his Pokeball.

"See you later, Alder!" called out Touya as Alder departed.

"What I do with my power..." said Cheren after Alder left, "I don’t know that answer yet. First, I want to become a strong trainer so everyone will acknowledge that power! Touya...next time, I will win!"

"And I'll be ready for that! So, shall we proceed to Icirrus?"

"Yes!" said Cheren, "Let's get the next badge!"

"YEAH!" shouted Juliet as the three headed into the cave.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> School's still kickin' my butt, but I'm still not stopping! See you in the next chapter ^_^


	33. The Freeze Badge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> HELLO AGAIN, MY FRIENDS! I'm so sorry this one took so long. Like I said, school is kicking my butt! Things might be slightly easier soon, though--I can't promise that I'll have more free time, but I'll likely have less of a workload to deal with! Enjoy this next chapter which, just a heads up, includes a reference to a certain terrible movie...
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

N exited the Icirrus City Gym, sighing softly. He really hated having to battle in the Gyms, but it was the only way he could get into the Pokemon League and defeat the Champion. The little Darumaka riding around in his shirt slept soundly, resting after a job well done. N knew he deserved it.

"Lord N!"

N turned to look at Mara, running toward him with a smile.

"I'm ready to go to Dragonspiral Tower when you are!" she said, happily. N smiled back at her.

"Certainly," he said, "but there's still one thing I'm waiting for."

"What?" asked Mara.

"The Hero of Truth."

Mara rolled her eyes.

"You're always talking about him! What's so special about that twerp?"

"To fight your enemy, you must know your enemy. He's a direct obstacle to Team Plasma's plans, I can't let him get in our way."

"Whatever." groaned Mara. N just chuckled.

N and Mara were about to leave when a member of the Shadow Triad materialized in front of them. N blinked and said "Hello...002?"

"Yes," confirmed 002, "I have arrived with a message from Sage Zinzolin."

"Okay," said N.

"He says that when the escapade in Dragonspiral Tower is over, Sage Ghetsis wants to speak with you." 

The Darumaka opened its icy blue eyes and growled. N simply stood there, calmly and silently.

"I see," he said, after a pause, "I'll be sure to remember that. Thank you for the message, 002, that will be all."

002 nodded and vanished. Mara looked up at N.

"Lord N?" she asked, looking slightly concerned.

"Run along, Mara. I expect to see you stationed at Dragonspiral Tower as soon as possible."

"...Roger that..." said Mara, taking her leave.

The Darumaka looked up at N and scowled.

 _"What do you think Ghetsis wants?"_ he asked, angrily.

"Whatever it is, friend, I can handle it," said N, petting the small Pokemon reassuringly, "don't you worry."

_"Well I'm here for you if you ever need someone to bite his other hand off!"_

"That won't be necessary," said N with a chuckle, "now let's go."

\----

"Ruff, give it a Crunch this time!"

Ruff ran at the Woobat hovering in front of him and bit it hard, causing it to screech. The injured Psychic bat tried to flutter upward before Touya seized his opportunity and threw a Dusk Ball at it.

The Dusk Ball twitched for a moment, the Woobat trying to escape, until finally the ball clicked to signal that it had been captured.

"YES!" shouted Touya, before checking the new entry in his Pokedex.

_Woobat_  
_Bruce_  
_Hasty nature_  
_Twist Mountain_  
_Met at Level 29_  
_Sturdy body_

"Hey Touya," asked Juliet as the Woobat's Dusk Ball was transferred to Fennel's lab, "can you explain type advantages for me?"

"Hm?" asked Touya, "Do they teach you that in schools?"

"Yeah, but I still don't get it," she added, "why does that Dark-type move work on the Psychic-types?"

"Hmmm," said Touya as the two walked along, Ruff walking right alongside Touya, "well, a common misconception is that Dark and by extension Ghost and Bug are effective against Psychic because they're common phobias. Old theories like that ignore the physiology of the Pokemon in question. Dark-types are characterized by a heightened level of cunning and deceit, so it's easier for them to fight Psychics as they can mask their thoughts easily and their actions are unpredictable. Ghost-types are among the more mysterious types among Pokemon, with their physiology being more alien and sometimes seemingly defying all logic. Thus, it's thought by some that they're simply too alien for Psychic-types to comprehend. As for Bug-types, Bug-types aren't very smart, so they're less susceptible to mental assaults."

"Weird," said Juliet.

"Yeah, but fascinating!" 

"Hey Touya," called out Cheren, already ahead of them, "I think I heard a Team Plasma grunt somewhere up ahead!"

"Are you sure you're not just paranoid like last time, Cheren?"

"Hey, that guy really looked like one!"

"He was a doctor!"

"Well he was wearing a white coat!"

"Why do you think so this time?" asked Juliet, getting annoyed.

"I recognized his voice," said Cheren heading over to them, "he sounds like that guy who's always babbling about that Watchog of him."

"Hmm...alright, then. Ruff, lead us. Juliet, stick close to us."

"Right."

\----

Ruff picked up the scent of a man near the exit of the cave. Sure enough, it was a Team Plasma grunt, more specifically Petr and he was...playing with his Watchog?

Yes, he was playing with his Watchog alright. He was holding a stick with a string and a feather on it and smiling happily watching his Pokemon batting at the feather with a smile on its face. 

"C'mon, Watchog! Get the pretty fairy! Get the fairy!"

Cheren was gawking, Juliet was confused and Touya chuckled--as much as he disliked Team Plasma, this was quite endearing.

The Watchog jumped into Petr's arms and he chuckled and said "Having to be on sentry duty is a lot easier when you have a friend by your side!"

"Ahem, are we interrupting anything, dude?" asked Touya.

Petr turned to look at them. His expression changed to anger and his Watchog growled at them. Ruff growled back at it in return.

"What do you want?" asked Petr.

"WE WANT TO BATTLE-" shouted Cheren before being interrupted by Touya.

"But if you're not interested, we'd be perfectly willing to walk out of the cave passed you instead."

"Touya..." hissed Cheren, but Touya just gave him a wink.

"No can do, you little twerps," said Petr as his Watchog jumped down from his arms, "I was placed here to make sure that nobody could exit the cave and stop Team Plasma's plan!"

"We do kinda need to get to the Gym too, you know," said Cheren, "C'mon, just let us through!"

"No way," said Petr, "I can't let anyone through!"

"Not even after a Pokemon battle?" asked Touya, smirking.

"Not even then!"

"Well then, I suppose that Watchog of yours won't go up in levels..." 

Petr's eyes widened, Cheren smirked and Juliet giggled. Petr glanced around than looked at his Watchog who nodded with a smile. Petr sighed and said "Alright, but you don't breathe a word of this to Ghetsis or Lord N!"

"Deal," said Touya, "go on, Ruff!"

"You too, Abner!" shouted Cheren sending out his Emboar.

"Get on out there, Solosis!"

Petr stared in horror at the trio before him and his now fairly nervous looking Watchog.

"YOU ROTTEN LITTLE BRATS TRICKED ME!"

"Yeah we did!" said Cheren, fist bumping Touya.

"Skreet! Skreet!" shouted Petr's Watchog angrily, struggling in its trainer's grip, clearly wanting to fight the trio before it.

"Watchog no!" said Petr, "I know you wanna get stronger but I'm not letting you battle those three!"

The Watchog looked up at Petr, quite surprised at what he was saying.

"I just don't want you to get hurt, okay?"

Cheren glared at him as if to say "what are you playing at?" Touya, however, smiled. Petr was looking at his Watchog with an expression of mixed concern and affection. Touya had to admit, that made him wonder if he should really be hating the grunts as much as he was.

"Alright," said Petr, stepping aside and pointing outside, "you kids can go through. But don't breathe a word of this to any of my superiors, okay?"

"Deal," said Touya, grinning as he returned Ruff and he, Cheren and Juliet left the cavern.

\----

"You really think we should have just let him go like that?" asked Cheren as they stood outside of Icurrus.

"Trust me," said Touya, "he's not gonna risk getting in trouble with his bosses or getting his Pokemon hurt."

"I suppose the first one is true. But are you sure about the second one?"

"You saw him chatting with his Watchog. And playing with it when we first saw it. He clearly loves the little hairball."

"I definitely noticed," said Juliet, "it's kind of adorable."

"Hello, kids!"

Touya, Cheren and Juliet turned to see Cedric Juniper smiling at them.

"How are your Pokemon?"

"They're fine," said Touya, smiling.

"Mine just evolved!" said Cheren.

"And mine are as cute as ever!" said Juliet.

"That's wonderful," said Cedric with a chuckle, "the Pokedex is important, but having a good time is just as important, if not moreso. Say, I just thought, have you heard of Dragonspiral Tower?"

"Yes, actually," said Touya, "Team Plasma is planning something there."

"I know," said Cedric, "that's why I'm investigating it. So far, no activity from them has been reported yet, but I'm still keeping an eye out and have alerted Brycen to it. Knowing him, he'll be as alert as possible. In the meantime, would you kids like to think hear the story of Dragonspiral?"

"Yes sir!" said Juliet, smiling as she sat down and looked enthusiastic as any preschooler hearing a story would.

"I'm game," said Touya, sitting down next to Juliet.

"Me too." said Cheren, sitting next to Touya.

"Well," said Cedric, leaning against a nearby rock, "Dragonspiral Tower is said to be Unova's oldest building. Stories say it is the place where legendary Pokemon come to life or where they remain in a deep slumber. I am aware that it's just past Icirrus City, but that's all I know about it. That's all anyone knows, in fact, because no one has ever been inside."

"Really?" asked Juliet.

"Really. The tower is protected by very powerful Pokemon. They aren't dangerous, but they never allow anyone to enter, and no one seems to be able to stop them. My daughter has wanted to explore the tower for a long time, and I can't help but agree with her. The idea that there's something out there we don't know is the allure of pure adventure. So I'll be off to investigate! Catch all of you later!"

"Bye, Cedric," said Touya, "we'll see you there!"

"Yeah, but first we're getting the Freeze Badge!"

"Cheren," said Touya, turning to his friend, "shouldn't you be prioritizing beating Team Plasma?"

"Actually," said Cedric, walking back over to them for just a moment, "I think it's a good idea to get the badge first. More badges may make you look more experienced!"

Touya thought about that and shrugged.

"Alright then," he said.

"Now I'm off!" said Cedric as he left, Touya, Cheren and Juliet waving goodbye as he went.

\----

The three made it to the Gym and Cheren immediately ran to face Brycen, the Gym Leader of Icirrus. Touya shook his head. Cheren couldn't wait more than two seconds to battle for his badge now, could he? He got a pretty good laugh when Cheren forgot that it was an _Ice-type_ Gym and slipped on the floor, before sliding all the way to Brycen.

"Careful there, Cheren," smirked Touya.

"Shut it, Touya! Hello, Brycen! No doubt you'll be disappointed when you see what I have in store for you!" Touya could tell that Cheren was referring to Abner. Being a Fire-type and a Fighting-type meant that the Emboar was doubly effective against Ice-types.

Brycen chuckled in response to Cheren's enthuisasm. Brycen appeared to be somewhere in his forties and stood tall and refined in appearance, as befitting a former actor. He was dressed in a stylized version of traditional Johto garb that showed a fair bit of skin, prompting Touya to wonder how he wasn't suffering hypothermia in the extremely frigid temperatures in his gym. Touya had seen some of the movies he starred in before and he was very good, though he had a tendency to be a bit of an overly dramatic ham and sometimes made very, _very_ strange film choices (what was the deal with the plot of _The Gym_? All Touya could remember was that after he watched it with Hilda, she wouldn't stop trying to make "O hai, Marowak" into a meme). 

Brycen turned to look at Touya and Juliet with a smile and said "You two, would you like to watch your friend win his badge?"

"Certainly," said Touya, smiling.

"Heck yeah!" said Juliet.

\----

"Abner, use Heat Crash again!"

Touya and Juliet watched as Abner wreathed himself in fire a fourth time and ran at Brycen's Beartic, slamming it down onto the icy floor. The Beartic let out an angry roar, and slashed at him with its claws.

"Beartic, use Brine!"

The Beartic sent a stream of salty water at Abner, causing the giant boar to wince as the salt exacerbated a wound already inflicted by the polar bear's Icicle Crash attack. Cheren took a deep breath and ordered Abner to use one more Heat Crash.

Abner let out a loud squeal and was once again enveloped in flames. Charging at the Beartic, he slammed into it head first and sent it flying into the opposite wall. The Beartic was knocked unconscious and Cheren let out an ecstatic yell, Touya and Juliet cheered and Brycen smiled.

"Beartic, return," said Brycen with a smile as he returned his ace to its Pokeball, before pulling his badge out of his pocket, "good job, Cheren. You've earned this."

Cheren's eyes were starry as Brycen handed him the Freeze Badge. Cheren turned to Abner and the two fist-bumped. 

"Well now," said Brycen, pressing a button on the wall and placing his Pokeballs in a healing chamber that opened up, "you want a turn, Touya?"

"Absolutely!" said Touya stepping into the arena with a smile. Touya's team was not entirely well equipped to deal with Ice-types, but he decided that opening with Screech and Ancient Power might be a good place to start, then going on with Sea Monkey with Scald.

"Let's begin!" said Brycen, "Go Vanillish!"

The floating, ice cream cone-like Pokemon burst out of Brycen's Pokeball with a cheery squeaking noise. Touya nodded and sent out Screech, who let out a loud squawk and landed on the ground, poised for attack.

"Screech, use Ancient Power!"

Screech let out a squawk and spread out his wings, causing rocks to burst out of the icy floor--the "rocks" however, were actually blocks of solid ice with small animals preserved inside of them. Screech sent the icy stones flying toward the Vanillish, crashing into the icy creature with a cracking sound.

"Vanillish! Use Frost Breath!"

The Vanillish took a deep breath and blew an icy wind forward, sending it toward Screech and causing him to shiver from the cold. 

"Screech, return!" said Touya, sending Screech back to his Pokeball, "Go Sea Monkey!"

Sea Monkey burst out, jumping up and down with a large grin. Ice-types and Water-types were only half effective against each other, but if he could inflict a burn with Scald he should be able to do pretty well.

"Vanillish, use Frost Breath!"

Vanillish used the same move on Sea Monkey, who wrapped her arms around her, shivering. 

"Use Scald, Sea Monkey!"

Sea Monkey sent a stream of hot water from her mouth at the icy Pokemon. The Vanillish was not inflicted with a burn, but the move was strong enough to knock it out.

"Hmm...you're doing well, kid," said Brycen, "let's see how you do against this one!"

He sent out a Cryogonal, a strange Pokemon made entirely of crystalline ice levitating above the field.

"Sea Monkey, use Scald again!"

Sea Monkey did as she was told and sure enough, this time the Cryogonal suffered a burn.

"Cryogonal, use Aurora Beam!"

A brightly colored wave of light was sent beaming from the icy creature's body, hitting Sea Monkey with a flash. She growled and Touya glared. But then steam started to emit from the Cryogonal's body, signifying that it was losing health from its burn.

"Sea Monkey, hit it with another Scald!"

Sea Monkey shot the scalding liquid at the Cryogonal again, exacerbating the burn. The Ice-type's body started to liquefy a little, making it seem likely that it was going to faint soon.

"Use Frost Breath, Cryogonal!"

"One more Scald, Sea Monkey!"

The freezing and scalding happened simultanously, but the one who ultimately fainted was Cryogonal.

"Cryogonal, return! Go Beartic!"

Beartic emerged, glaring down at Touya with its eyes above its frozen beard. Sea Monkey trembled a little and turned to look at Touya.

"If you're ready to switch out, I understand." said Touya, reassuringly.

Sea Monkey, paused after hearing that and turned to face the Beartic.

"Alright then, Sea Monkey, use Scald again!"

Sea Monkey's burning water hit the Beartic, but unfortunately did not manage to inflict a burn.

"Use Icicle Crash, Beartic!"

Beartic snapped off the icicles from its snout and through them at Sea Monkey.

"Sea Monkey, dodge it!"

Sea Monkey leaped with agility and grace, escaping from the flying icicles with a smile.

"Now use Scald again! Give it everything you've got!"

The Scald hit Beartic. This time, she did manage to inflict a burn, though it still wasn't enough to take Beartic down. 

"Alright Beartic, use Slash!"

"Dodge it again!"

Beartic tried to slash at Sea Monkey with its claws, but Sea Monkey jumped out of its reach. The Beartic swiped again, but Sea Monkey jumped more, still escaping her opponent's grasp. Beartic, meanwhile, was slowly succumbing to its burn. Touya was reminded of the strategy he used with Sir Hiss so long ago, tiring the opponent out, wearing it down.

"Sea Monkey, maybe it's time to cool him off...use Surf!"

Sea Monkey jumped onto a nearby ice block and positioned herself just right as the Beartic ran toward her, claw raised for another Slash. Sea Monkey raised a hand and some of the ice around her started to melt. The newly liquefied ice formed a huge wave, drenching the Beartic completely and hurling him backward.

"YES!" shouted Touya as Sea Monkey jumped into his arms and gave him a high five, "We won!"

"That's great Touya," said Cheren, "but there's one small problem..."

"What?"

"That," said Juliet, pointing downward.

Touya looked where she was pointing and saw Brycen standing up to his neck in water.

"Oops..."

\----

Touya pinned the Freeze Badge to his coat after apologizing heavily to Brycen.

"No need to worry," said Brycen as they journeyed out of the gym, "believe it or not, this is not the first time this happened. The temperature control in my gym is very advanced, so it should freeze itself in no time."

As the four exited the Gym, they were met by Bianca, who smiled at them and waved.

"Hey guys!" she said, "Did you win the battle?"

"Yeah!" said Cheren, smiling, "And you'll never guess what Touya did, he-"

"Shh!" said Brycen, suddenly looking very alert. The kids were looking at him, confused. Brycen glanced around.

"Show yourself!" said Brycen.

At first nothing happened. Then suddenly, three forms flickered to life...three ninja-like, long-haired figures...

"Greetings, Brycen..." all three members of the Shadow Triad said in unison.

To be continued...


	34. Zekrom

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOOOOHOOOOO! I was able to finish this one in a little over a single day! That's a new record! This is because my teacher cancelled class Monday and, since I already had to finish two quizzes over the weekend, I figured I'd take a personal day. I didn't expect to finish this chapter so quickly, though! That said, I ultimately opted to wait before I uploaded this one, so as not to overwhelm you, so I'm speaking to you from the past! Ooooo!
> 
> This, of course, is where things start to heat up!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

"Greetings, Brycen..."

The members of the shadow Triad peered at the Gym Leader and the four kids with cold piercing eyes from above their masks. Brycen remained calm, but the kids were not so composed. Touya was on edge, having seen and been kidnapped by the Triad before. Bianca gripped Cheren's arm, looking frightened. Cheren was tensed up and looked ready to fight. Juliet was angry. 

"It is impressive that you knew where we were," said one of them, "we are beings of shadows and not easily noticed."

"What are you scoundrels doing in front of my gym?" scowled Brycen.

"Our mission was to speak only with the one named Touya," said one of the Triad members, "but so be it. Ghetsis has a message for you."

"Wh-what is it?" asked Touya, hesitantly.

"Come to Dragonspiral tower. It is there that our lord N waits for you. Our mission is complete."

With that they vanished.

"We're going to have to get out there, then," said Brycen, "we need to stop them as soon as possible."

"I'm in!" said Cheren.

"Me too!" said Bianca.

"Juliet," said Touya, firmly, "stay close to me."

"Got it!"

\----

The group headed on through to the Dragonspiral Tower. The enormous tower was ancient and seemed to be falling apart, but somehow that only made it look more beautiful and majestic. Touya would have felt more in awe at it if he hadn't known he had a mission.

As they entered, Touya saw that it was just as beautiful on the inside, with a pool of water within, large round platforms protruding from said pool of water. There were pillars along the hallways, some of which haven fallen and formed makeshift bridges and staircases. The team headed onward.

"Now be on your toes, everyone," said Brycen, "a Team Plasma Grunt could arrive any moment..."

"Hello everyone!"

"ATTACK!" shouted Brycen, sending out his Beartic.

Touya, Cheren, Bianca and Juliet were all about to follow his lead, only to find that the one being gripped by his collar by the Beartic...was Alder.

"Woah, down boy!" said Alder, chuckling, "I'm not a threat here!"

"ALDER!" said the starstruck Cheren.

"Did you hear about the suspicious activity here too?" asked Touya.

"Indeed I did," said Alder, "I heard crashes of thunder at the top of the Tower. We'll need to move fast, something is up there, and it's dangerous."

"Right then," said Brycen, "kids, send out your strongest Pokemon just in case."

"Alrighty then!" said Bianca, smiling as she sent out a giant, blue sea lion decked out in yellow seashell armor, "what do ya think, boys?"

"Bubbles evolved?" asked Touya, smiling as he sent out Sir Hiss.

"Yep," said Bianca happily as she hugged her starter around the neck, "he's a tough little cookie now! But he's still the same cute little guy I picked back at the start of our journey!" 

"Cool," said Cheren, sending out Abner, "we're gonna be pretty stiff competition for those lowlifes!"

"Hey Brycen," said Alder, "could you call off your giant killer ice bear?"

\----

N Harmonia wandered up to the top of the Dragonspiral Tower, with Rood, Mara and a Stunfisk with cold blue eyes. 

"It should be in the center of the room," said N, calmly, "Ms. Euphony, go keep guard on the entrance to this room."

"Anything for you, Lord N!"

N walked toward the center of the room and looked at the small platform...on which he saw a round black stone, nestled safely and covered in dust. The Stunfisk looked at N with a look of slight worry.

 _"N,"_ he said, _"are you sure about this?"_

"Of course I am, friend," said N, "this is how we're going to save all of the Pokemon in Unova...and then the world."

 _"Well okay, but be careful..."_

"I won't have to, friend...he'll choose me, I know it."

With that, N picked up the Dark Stone...and suddenly, it started to give off sparks of electricity.

N started to shake, much to the horror of his Pokemon. But N wasn't in pain, he was just frightened. And he could hear a voice coming out of the Dark Stone in his head...

**"This power...IT'S ELECTRIFYING!"**

\----

"AGH!"

"SSSSS!" said Sir Hiss as his trainer collapsed to the floor.

"TOUYA!?" shouted Bianca.

"Wha? What just happened!?" asked Juliet.

"Someone, get him medical attention!" shouted Cheren.

"No, no," said Touya, gripping his head and struggling back to his feet, "I-I'm fine, I just...I thought I heard something...in my head..."

"You're not hurt, are you?" asked Bianca.

"It's alright, Bianca, I'm fine! Come on, Sir Hiss."

Sir Hiss looked at Bubbles, Abner, Horus and Beartic. Bubbles looked concerned, Abner gave him a thumbs up and Beartic nodded. Horus did not appear to have a reaction. Sir Hiss simply turned to Touya and gave him a nudge with his head before looking at him with concern in his eyes.

"I said I was fine, Sir Hiss," said Touya, smiling as he petted his starter, "but if you're worried, you can stick by me."

Sir Hiss nodded and slithered next to his trainer with a smile. Juliet held her Petilil and Cottonee close, while Abner and Bubbles wandered alongside Cheren and Bianca.

\----

On the fourth floor of the Tower, the group found the mass of Team Plasma grunts, somewhere around twenty or so in all, all looking alarmed at the sudden appearance of their opponents. Touya recognized Hanover among them and glared furiously at him. Cheren meanwhile, managed to look overwhelmed for the first time.

"Guys," said Cheren, "I'm not sure if we can do this..."

"Nonsense," said Alder, smiling, "let's just fight 'em separately! Right Horus?"

The Volcarona let out a loud screech and flew upward. A grunt panicked and sent out a Trubbish, who promptly found herself knocked out by Horus' Overheat attack.

Cheren seized his own chance and called for Abner to use Heat Crash against Regina's shiny Watchog. Bianca ordered Bubbles to use Water Pulse on Petr's Watchog as well. Juliet's Petilil Mega Drained another grunt's Purrloin while her Cottonee used Tailwind to boost their speed. Meanwhile, Brycen was engaged in actual hand-to-hand combat with a grunt while Beartic sent icicles flying at said grunt's Pokemon.

And Touya? He was face to face with Z-Stripe's killer again. Hanover's Sandile hadn't evolved, though it looked like it should have at some point...Touya chalked that up to Hanover was a poor trainer.

"Hey kid," sneered Hanover, "what do ya want now?"

"I want you to get out of this tower. Sir Hiss, fight!"

The Sandile tried to bite at Sir Hiss, but Sir Hiss dodged and fired out a Leaf Tornado, hitting the Sandile and cutting into its scaly hide. The Sandile scowled, as did Hanover.

"Tch," groaned the grunt, "stupid crocodile, you can't even fight a snake. Make yourself useful and lower its accuracy."

The Sandile swiped its tail and kicked sand in Sir Hiss' face. Sir Hiss growled and slithered toward it, hitting it with a Leaf Blade. The crocodilian fell to the ground after Sir Hiss used his attack and Hanover returned it to its Pokeball.

"Tch," said Hanover again, returning his Pokemon, "useless croc. You got lucky, kid."

Touya growled and Sir Hiss turned away, looking disgusted.

Touya turned to see that his companions had already defeated the other grunts. The grunts, left defenseless, were retreating. The only one who wasn't was Hanover, who was walking away calmly.

"Alright then!" said Cheren, "So we took them out! Should we proceed to the top?"

Suddenly, without warning, the whole tower started shaking. Lightning flashed, thunder roared. Everyone looked up in concern, but none were more concerned than Alder.

"We don't have much time," said Alder, looking terrified, "those violent flashes of lightning that just shot from the tower...the Pokemon that produced them may well have the power to destroy the world. If it's on Team Plasma's side, nothing will be able to stand in their way!"

"Electricity," said Cheren, looking worried, "guys...do you think this means...?"

"The legend is true?" asked Bianca.

"It sounds like it," said Touya, thoughtfully, "there may be one person who _can_ stand in their way..."

"Alder, you think you're up to it?" asked Cheren.

"I meant ME, Cheren!" said Touya.

"Are you sure?" asked Bianca, "I mean, don't take this the wrong way, but you're not as powerful or as experienced as Alder..."

"I know, but...N told me that I'm meant to oppose him and Team Plasma. If he has Zekrom, I should have Reshiram."

"What do you think, Alder?" asked Bianca.

"Hmm," said Alder, "if I remember the myth properly, Zekrom's powerful electricity coupled with the other Pokemon devastated Ancient Unova. Reshiram was the only one who equaled it in power. It seems like a huge risk factor...but at this point, this may be our only choice."

"We need to get going, then," said Brycen, calmly, "let's move out."

\----

At the top floor, N, Rood and the Stunfisk stood before Zekrom, all looking at the dragon of legend in complete awe. It had a basic reptilian form, typical of a dragon, but its body looked more metallic and artificial than organic. It hovered before N with wings situated on its shoulders. Its eyes glowed a fiery red, its jet turbine-like tail emanated with a bright blue energy. Electric sparks coursed along its body. Standing over nine feet tall, the dragon glowered down at N and spoke in an echoing voice...

**"Who dares awaken me?"**

"It is I, N Harmonia. The Hero of Ideals."

Zekrom glared down at N. And to N's surprise...it shook its head.

 **"I believe you are mistaken,"** it said, **"you are not the champion I was expecting. There is another whom I was destined for..."**

 _"Hey you,"_ said the Stunfisk, his cold blue eyes flashing, _"N worked hard for his whole life to get you! He needs you to change the world!"_

"It's true," said N, now genuinely worried, "my ideals are strong! I-I want to liberate all Pokemon! I want to save them from the slavery they have been trapped in for so long!"

Zekrom blinked and paused pensively. It knelt down and looked at N, studying him with its frightful red eyes.

**"Hmm...I can see a rebellious spark in your eyes...a spark that wishes to take down the oppressive system that permeates Unova's society...it has been so long since I have been on the outside, has anything changed between then and now?"**

"I'm afraid not, Zekrom," said N, shaking his head, "the region considers to treat Pokemon like tools and weapons to be used, instead of living creatures with hearts and minds of their own."

A growl escaped Zekrom's lips.

 **"Typical foolish, selfish humans,"** it said, **"it seems my ideals never got through to them...but you...you seem to have realized humanity's folly...seen the error of mankind's ways...maybe you are worthy of being my champion."**

_"Does this mean N can be your friend?"_

**"Not quite,"** said Zekrom, calmly, **"for now, it is a partnership. I'll join your cause for now, N, but only time will tell if I am willing to call you anything but my partner."**

"Understood, Zekrom."

"LORD N! SAGE ROOD!" said a voice.

N and Rood turned around to see Mara running toward them.

"Lord N, I'm so sorry! I failed! The intruders are coming this way!"

Sure enough, N and Rood soon saw Touya arriving with his friends, Brycen, Alder and their Pokemon alongside him. Cheren, Bianca and Juliet all stared in awe at the dragon, while Alder smiled. Brycen crossed his arms. Zekrom, meanwhile, suddenly looked extremely agitated, electricity coursing through its body as it glared down at Touya.

 **"THE HERO OF TRUTH!"** it scowled.

N smiled and looked Touya directly in the eyes, a sneer lighting up his face.

"What do you think, Touya? How do you like the powerful form of the Pokemon who appears before and fights beside the hero who will lead the way to a new world?"

"N," said Touya, feeling a little bit shocked, "are...are you serious about this?"

"I've never been more serious," said N, his sneer becoming a scowl, "I WILL change the world. I will make sure that Pokemon never have to suffer again. A world where humans are kept away from Pokemon, where Pokemon are free and safe."

"You can't!" said Bianca, looking horrified.

"Yeah," said Cheren, "Pokemon and humans...we need each other!"

**"Tch...more selfish humans..."**

"N," said Alder, "I wanted to reason with you, but this is simply insane! I didn't want to have to do this, but you left me with no alternative. Horus, you know what to do..."

Horus hovered upward, just about to fire an attack on Zekrom and the Stunfisk...when something extremely unexpected happened...

"KEERRRRR!"

The group stared in awe as the Stunfisk leaped forward with agility much too advanced for a fish...its form flickered and warped for a moment as it hit Horus with incredible force before dropping to the ground...on four long legs--soon enough, they could see that it was not a Stunfisk at all...in the fish's place was a shadowy fox-like creature with black fur and a long mane of red and black running along its back. It growled as it bared its sharp, red claws, putting itself between them and N.

_"I will not let you hurt N..."_

Horus had fallen to the ground and Alder and Bianca were at his side in an instant. Touya looked up at the Pokemon glaring at him with its cold blue eyes...

"A...a Zoroark..."

"We shall meet again soon," said N, climbing onto Zekrom's back, "fall back, Mara. We shall journey back to headquarters."

"Of course, Lord N," said Mara as she and Rood climbed onto Zekrom's back.

"Kagami," said N, apparently speaking to the Zoroark, "come along."

The Zoroark growled at Touya one more time before leaping onto Zekrom's back along with his trainer. With that, Zekrom soared into the sky and vanished into the distance.

And for a moment, everyone was left in stunned silence.

"Touya," said Juliet, tugging at her friend's coat, "what do we do now?"

Touya paused for a moment before kneeling down in front of Juliet and placing both hands on her shoulders.

"Juliet, listen to me," he said, "I now know that things are getting very, very serious. So there is a chance you'll be placed in very real danger...so this means that...if things get too dangerous, there will come a point where I have to send you back home to Nacrene City. Do you understand?"

Juliet looked slightly disappointed, but she nodded.

"Touya, how on Earth are you going to fight that monster!?" asked Cheren.

"Alder," said Touya, "what's the opposite of the stone Zekrom was in and where can I find it?"

"The Light Stone. Last I recall, it was in Relic Castle..."

"Then I guess we're taking a trip to the desert..."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I decided to end the "mystery" regarding N's little blue-eyed friend. Of course, I'm sure you all knew it was Zoroark XD


	35. The Light Stone

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> One more chapter before the upcoming tests and midterms swallow my life @_@ Don't worry, this fic will be back soon, but I may not have time to work on chapters until AFTER the upcoming tests are over and done with. Until then, here's a lovely addition to our chronicle taking place in Unova!
> 
> Also, NO TYPOS FOR ONCE! WOOT!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

"You wanted to see me, Ghetsis?" asked N as he entered Ghetsis' quarters with Rood standing next to him. Ghetsis was standing in front of a large tapestry of himself and a Zekrom and Reshiram floating over him on the wall.

"Yes," said Ghetsis, before turning to Rood, "that will be all, Rood."

"Don't you think I should stay?"

"That will be all," said Ghetsis, much more firmly.

Rood bowed and then left, briefly glancing at N as he did so. N looked up at Ghetsis, who still had his back to him.

"Ghetsis, what's wrong?" he asked. 

Ghetsis didn't answer at first, but then he said, "You are the King of Team Plasma. You are the Hero of Ideals. You are the one who has obtained Zekrom's loyalty and will bring about the dawn of a new era."

"Why yes, Ghetsis, I am-" N began, feeling quite proud, but then Ghetsis interrupted him.

"So with all this in mind, N, tell me one thing: Why...why on Arceus' green Earth did you opt to speak to the Hero of Truth's Pokemon instead of doing anything productive in Mistralton?"

"...I thought I did do something productive," said N, after a brief pause, "I secured the Jet Badge and-"

"And you took a pit stop to talk to the boy's Pokemon. Pokemon who, I might add, have lowered themselves to working with a human in the first place."

N gave a sigh and said, "Ghetsis, I simply wanted to learn about Touya. I...I don't understand humans, remember? I needed to know more about the enemy, so I spoke to his Pokemon. They...they seem to trust him quite a lot."

"And you believed them?" Ghetsis asked, wheeling around to face him, "You do remember the lesson Rood taught you about, right? About Stockholm Syndrome?"

N paused, nervously, then said, "Yes."

"Remind me, N, what is Stockholm Syndrome?"

"It's," began N, "it's when a victim of abuse develops sympathy and affection for their abuser, usually as a survival strategy."

"Precisely. How do you know Touya's Pokemon haven't succumbed to that?"

N sighed softly. He had to admit, he couldn't confirm that. 

"I...I suppose I don't."

Ghetsis heaved a long-suffering sigh. 

"Oh N," he said, walking toward N and placing his hands on his shoulders, "you need to get your act together. I made you King of Team Plasma for a _reason_. I've been counting on you taking this job seriously."

"But I am-"

"No you're not," scowled Ghetsis firmly, "you're traipsing around talking to Pokemon and obsessing over your obstacle for victory. How can I trust you with this organization if you're naivete keeps getting in the way of your duties?"

N was about to protest, but then caught the angry glint in Ghetsis' eyes. N had long learned that that angry glint was a warning sign to keep his mouth shut.

"Now, N," continued Ghetsis, walking toward the door, "I want you to start getting your act together. You want to liberate Pokemon, right?"

"Yes, but-"

"Then I suggest that you take your job more seriously. I put you in charge of this organization for a reason. If you're going to keep fooling around, however..."

N watched Ghetsis' hand tighten around the staff he was holding, causing N to tense up a little.

"You know I trust you, N," said Ghetsis, smiling as he put an arm around N, "but you're still so naive..."

"I know..."

Ghetsis opened the door to his office and said, "But that will change soon, _right?_ It will change now that you have Zekrom... _right?_ "

"Yes, sir..."

"Good. Now, get going! That Legend Badge isn't going to earn itself..."

\----

Touya arrived at the Relic Castle, on Breezy's back.

"Good boy, Breezy," said Touya, petting his bird and returning him to his Pokeball, before peering into the castle, "here goes nothing."

Cheren was already there, and he quickly ran toward Touya.

"Team Plasma has pretty much driven away all the tourists so they can have complete control over the cave. We need to get those idiots out of here!"

Touya nodded.

"Right. Is Bianca at Nacrene City?"

"Yeah. She, Juliet and Professor Juniper are asking Lenora if she knows anything about the Light Stone."

"Good idea."

The two headed along, both with their strongest Pokemon out and headed down the staircase to the lower level.

When they got there, Touya suddenly noticed something floating nearby.

"What's that?"

"Is it a Plasma Grunt?"

"No, it looks like..."

As Touya headed toward a corner where the shadowy creature had fled.

Suddenly, Touya was met with a mask that had an angry face on it. Touya jumped and backed away as the shadow giggled in response. This gave Touya a better look at the creature--it was a Yamask.

Touya chuckled and said, "Well then, you little sneak...how do you like this?"

With that, he threw a Pokeball at the Ghost-type.

_Yamask_  
_Friend_  
_Lonely Nature_  
_Relic Castle_  
_Met at Level 19_  
_Mischievous_

\----

Touya smiled at the new 'dex entry, but this satisfaction was short-lived when Cheren called out, "Touya! Team Plasma up ahead!"

Touya didn't need to be told twice. He ran to Cheren's location and sure enough found an old man, undoubtedly one of the sages, though he was one who Touya didn't recognize.

"Hello, Hero of Truth," said the Sage.

"Who are you?" said Touya.

"My name is Ryoku, one of the Seven Sages. Ghetsis told us once again that we should test how much power you have. Let's see if you can defeat Team Plasma."

Pulling out a Pokeball, Ryoku sent out a Scolipede, which reared up viciously.

"Lunch time, Breezy!"

"Get out there, Abner!"

Both Breezy and Abner burst out of their Pokeballs and poised themselves for battle.

"Scolipede, use Toxic."

"Breezy, use Fly!"

"Abner, dodge!"

The Scolipede charged at both of its opponents, attempting to sting one of them with poisonous barbs. Breezy soared upward, escaping the attack, while Abner jumped out of the way. The enormous arthropod made an angry clicking noise before being slammed into the ground by Breezy.

"Hmph," said Ryoku, "use Steamroller."

Curling up into a purple wheel, the arthropleurid rolled swiftly toward Abner and Breezy, slamming Abner into the nearby wall while Breezy hovered overhead, avoiding the attack.

"Abner, hit him with a Heat Crash!"

Abner wreathed himself in flames and bashed into the angry arthropod, hitting it hard.

"Breezy, use Aerial Ace!"

As Abner jumped away, Breezy swooped down and slashed at the giant bug with his wings.

"You little brats are persistent, I'll give you that. Use Bug Bite!"

"Block it Abner!"

"Fly Breezy!"

The Scolipede attempted to bite at Abner who grabbed it by the neck and held it back as it attempted to bite him. This gave Breezy the opportunity to swoop down and knock the bug out. Ryoku scowled.

"You may have beaten me this time, but you won't win against N or Ghetsis."

Touya and Cheren left the angry sage and carried on.

\----

Touya and Cheren continued searching for signs of more Team Plasma activity. 

"It's quiet," said Cheren, "too quiet..."

"You think they're looking to ambush us or something?" asked Touya.

"Maybe," said Cheren, "we can never be too sure."

Touya suddenly heard a hushed voice around a nearby corner...

"For the last time, Petr, no!"

"Pleeease, Regina! Just one date? To the movies? Or to dinner?"

"No."

Touya smirked and Cheren facepalmed, before the two ran to the corner themselves.

"Hello, you two," said Touya.

"AH!" shouted Petr and Regina, panicked, "YOU!"

"Does Ghetsis enjoy losing so much that he sends you goons after us?"

"Shut up!" said Petr, "Just battle us!"

"Fine then, Abner, get out here!" said Cheren.

"Go, Sir Hiss!"

"I immediately regret this," said Petr, letting out his Watchog.

"Get over it," said Regina, sending out her own Watchog, "Watchog, use Crunch!"

"Sir Hiss, dodge it and use Leaf Tornado!"

"Abner, use Heat Crash!"

\----

Touya and Cheren managed to make it passed Regina and Petr and headed down to the next level of the castle. There, they found Alder speaking to Ghetsis.

"Ah," said Ghetsis, sneering, "it looks like everyone is here..."

"Hello, boys," said Alder, smiling, "stay close to me."

"What's going on here?" asked Cheren, angrily.

"And where's N?" asked Touya.

"N is busy at the moment," said Ghetsis, "more to the point, you are here seeking the stone that will resurrect Reshiram, aren't you?"

"Yes...and I can't believe I'm asking this of you...but do you know where it is?"

"Of course," said Ghetsis with a smirk, "and I'm sorry to say, but it is most certainly not here...at least, not anymore."

Touya looked at him in shock, though he hastily changed it to a look of chagrin, noticing the look of smug satisfaction on the old man's face.

"You've got to be kidding me!" said Cheren, looking furious, "We came all this way for a dead end!"

"Do not worry, young man," said Ghetsis, "it's closer than you think. And for young Touya, congratulations are in order! You were chosen by our king!"

"Yeah, I kind of figured," said Touya, "he told me so days ago."

"Indeed," smirked Ghetsis, "if you really wish to keep the world as it is, where Pokemon are slaves to the wills of selfish humans, you must awaken it and battle Lord N...otherwise, Team Plasma will take your Pokemon by _force_."

Touya glared angrily at Ghetsis. Cheren scowled and Alder shook his head.

"Ghetsis," said Alder, speaking at last, "what good will forcing everyone to give up their Pokemon do? What of the Pokemon who actually do love their trainers and want to stay with them? Is the goal of Team Plasma really nothing but taking Pokemon away from people?"

"What's this?" asked Ghetsis, with a cocky grin, "The great Champion Alder, whose first Pokemon tragically lost its life to illness, who has been wandering Unova aimlessly and hasn't had a serious battle in ages, asking the Elite Four to defend Unova in his stead...is willing to protect a world where humans and Pokemon remain together? Feh! Team Plasma will show that N is stronger than any champion who keeps Pokemon enslaved! And when that day comes, we will erect a fitting castle for our king and his dragon!"

"Wait," said Cheren, "N IS LOOKING TO BECOME CHAMPION!?"

"Becoming the League Champion would make N one of the highest authorities in Unova...so with that much authority..."

"He could have the power to command everyone to release their Pokemon!" said Alder, looking horrified.

"Correct!" said Ghetsis, with a smug-looking smile, "When the Champion falls and N is ruling over Unova, all he'll have to do is give the order for everyone to release their Pokemon. They will have no choice but to obey!"

"I won't lose against him," said Alder, "I'll fight for everyone who loves their Pokemon and for all the Pokemon who love their trainers!"

Ghetsis scoffed.

"Come now, Alder," he said, "N isn't interested in you. He already knows that victory is assured."

"So you stay behind simply to tell me that? Do you just want to make a fool of me?"

"Goodness, no," said Ghetsis, insincerely, "I'm speaking solely out of kindness! I'm simply giving you a warning in advance--just to make sure that the current Champion doesn't get hurt without need. Although, the moment one loses all hope...I do quite enjoy that moment..."

Touya couldn't tell if Ghetsis was directing that last statement at them or himself, but it certainly sent a chill down his spine.

"This is where I shall take my leave, farewell!"

With that, Ghetsis turned and with a sweep of his cape, he vanished.

Touya, Cheren and Alder all stood there, staring dumbstruck at where Ghetsis was standing. Touya didn't like him from the start, but now he was certain that he hated him. Alder's angry expression and Cheren's pale, frightened face only confirmed to Touya that the others feel the same way.

"I don't like him," said Cheren, "I don't like him at all..."

The two walked back in silence for so long that it was a bit startling to hear Cheren's XTransciever suddenly going off--it was Bianca's ringtone.

"Bianca?" said Cheren, answering the Transciever, "What's up?"

"Cheren, you guys need to come to the Nacrene City Museum quickly! We know where the Light Stone is!"

\----

The trio didn't need to be told twice. They rushed as soon as possible to the museum. Thankfully Nacrene was easy to reach on foot from the Relic Castle.

"Bianca!" shouted Cheren as he stumbled into the museum, Touya and Alder in tow, "Did you guys really find it?"

"Yes!" said Bianca, rushing over to Cheren along with Juliet, the Professor and Lenora. Touya explained the situation to them, about everything Ghetsis told him, Cheren and Alder.

"So that's what those reprobates hope to accomplish," said Lenora, shaking her head.

"The very idea," said Bianca, very shaken up, "the thought of having the Champion himself tell us to give up our Pokemon...I just can't imagine something like that..."

"Don't worry about it, Bianca," said Professor Juniper, grinning, "that will never happen! Not when Touya wakes this little fireball up!"

She pulled on a thick glove and took a glowing white orb out of her pocket.

"The Light Stone!" said Touya, "Why are you wearing a glove to hold it?"

"She tried touching it with her bare hand," said Juliet, "it burned her hand."

Touya paused in thought...then took the Light Stone in his bare hand.

"TOUYA!" shrieked Bianca.

"Just as I thought," said Touya, smiling, "it doesn't burn _me_."

"Woah," said Cheren, "really?"

"Well...if Reshiram was destined for me, then it must not want to burn me."

"Huh," said Juliet, "neat!"

"Lenora, how do you think I should get around to awakening the Light Stone?"

"Hmm," said Lenora, "I'm not sure...try asking Drayden in Opelucid City. You will be headed there, right?"

"I'm gonna have to _now_ ," said Touya, nodding, "if I wanna defeat N, I'll have to make it to the League, so I'll need all eight badges."

"Good idea," said Lenora.

"In the meantime," said Professor Juniper, "I'm going back to the lab to conduct some research! I'll see if I can uncover some secrets about these dragons and figure out how to awaken them myself!"

With that, the Professor left. Lenora turned to the kids and said "It's a long way to Opelucid, would you like to rest up at my house?"

"Certainly!" said Bianca.

"Sure," said Cheren.

"Thanks!" said Juliet.

Touya simply nodded.

\----

That night, Touya decided that what he needed was a nice long shower. Standing in the cubicle, Touya let the hot water spray along his bare skin, rinsing away the desert sand and relaxing his tense muscles as he thought about what happened over the past few days.

He thought about Ghetsis' threat against Alder and the League.

He thought about N and the vast differences between him and Ghetsis. Did Ghetsis have ulterior motives? N certainly seemed much more sincere in his "liberating Pokemon" belief. Could it be that Ghetsis was playing him for a fool?

He thought about what may happen if N wins. The idea that he and his friends would be forced to give up their Pokemon, the idea of having to say goodbye to Sir Hiss or Prima or Breezy...any of them, it made his heart hurt. He was sure his friends felt the same way.

He was soon snapped out of his thoughts when he heard a knock at the door.

"Touya," said Lenora's voice outside of the door, "I have a clean set of clothes out here for you if you need it."

"Thanks, Ms. Lenora," said Touya, sighing as he ran his hand through his wet hair, "but I already have a spare outfit in my bag."

"Okay then, kid," said Lenora.

"And hurry up in there!" shouted Cheren's voice, "I wanna take a shower too!"

"Sure thing, Cheren," chuckled Touya. Once again, his friends manage to cheer him up even without meaning to.

Touya shut off the shower and dried himself off before wrapping the towel around his waist and retrieving the change of clothes from his backpack. After getting dressed, Touya headed out of the bathroom (dodging Cheren as he sped into the bathroom for his own shower) and down to the room where he, Cheren, Bianca and Juliet would be sleeping. Juliet was already asleep and Bianca was flipping through a small book.

"Hey Bianca," said Touya, smiling as he sat down next to his friend, "whatcha reading?"

"It's a science textbook the Professor gave me! I've been learning a lot lately. I'm thinking of becoming a Professor like Professor Juniper someday!"

"That's what I always wanted to do too," said Touya, smiling, "Sadly, I think I may have to steal the Champion title from Cheren."

"Nah," said Bianca, "Alder may be able to stop him!"

"I'm not so sure about that," said Touya, "Zekrom looked pretty strong. And if I can't revive Reshiram..."

Touya pulled the Light Orb from his backpack, staring uncertainly at it.

"Hey, c'mon, Touya! Let's not focus on the bad stuff right now! You wanna hear something funny?"

"What?"

"Look at these," Bianca picked up a bag with several envelopes in them, "while acting as an assistant to the Professor, I was tasked with helping her sort her mail. Now most of the time, she gets a lot of science related stuff from other professors...except one from that new professor in Kalos."

"What are those?"

"They're love letters! The Kalos Professor keeps sending Professor Juniper love letters! And I don't think Professor Juniper even realizes it!"

"Heh, that is pretty funny," said Touya, chuckling, "hey Bianca...speaking of love, when are you and Cheren gonna...you know, let each other know how you feel?"

Bianca blushed and sighed.

"Look, Touya," she said, "I like Cheren...a lot. But...I dunno, I guess I'm just old fashioned. I want Cheren to make the first move. I could do it myself...but Cheren needs a bit of a confidence boost, after all."

Touya sighed. He wasn't sure if he agreed there, but it was ultimately their decision, not his.

"Well," said Touya, "I guess I ought to hit the hay. Come on out, guys!"

Touya let his Pokemon out and all of them quickly started looking for places to sleep.

"Since we're gonna be sleeping on the floor," said Touya, getting into a blue sleeping bag, "I get the feeling I'll wake up buried in my Pokemon."

Bianca giggled and said, "Goodnight, Touya!"

"Goodnight, Bianca!"

\----

"So Alder," said Lenora as the four children slept, "what do you think about all this?"

Alder paused, sipping some coffee, "It seems I have no choice. I'm going to have to return to the Pokemon League and battle N when he arrives. It bothers me, however, that I'm essentially going to be playing right into Ghetsis' hands..."

"But if it's the only way...?" asked Hawes, sitting down next to his wife with a cup of coffee of his own.

"It may be," said Alder, "but if Touya can succeed at resurrecting the Legendary Dragon, then he'll be our only chance if N defeats me."

"Hmm..." said Lenora, leaning back and closing her eyes, deep in thought, "we may need to discuss this at the next League meeting..."

"I'll definitely consider it," said Alder, standing up, "until then, I'll take my leave. I'll see you again soon, Lenora."

"Take care, Alder."

With that, Alder left the Museum and let Horus out, the two swiftly flying en route to the Pokemon League.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As you can see, the plot is thickening...Touya has the Light Stone, which only he can touch safely, N is in possession of Zekrom and Ghetsis is showing more of his true colors...
> 
> Also, TOUYA SHOWER FANSERVICE XD Yeah, I figured it's been long enough since I've included fanservice of any kind here XD
> 
> Can't wait to see you guys in the next one! Till then, later!


	36. A Tale of Two Dragons

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Guess who's back!
> 
> This one I struggled with a bit, but I'm ultimately satisfied with how it turned out ^_^
> 
> Enjoy!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

The next day, Touya discovered that Cheren had already left for Opelucid while he, Bianca and Juliet headed off to the Tubeline Bridge.

"So Touya," said Bianca, on the way to the bridge, "I've been thinking about things..."

"What kind of things?" asked Touya, smiling.

"I've been thinking about what I wanna do with my life! As you know, I'm thinking of studying Pokemon like Professor Juniper, though I also considered becoming a model like Elesa."

"I bet Cheren was on board with that one," said Juliet, smirking.

"He was," said Bianca, chuckling, "but ultimately I prefer the idea of getting into science! In order to do so, however, I'll have to learn a lot about Pokemon so if you don't mind...would you like to battle with me?"

"Certainly, Bianca!" said Touya, smiling, "Anything to help you out here!"

"Alright!" said Bianca, "Now let's get started! Go Lillian!"

A Stoutland burst out of the Pokeball, barking and growling. Touya smiled and sent out Sir Hiss.

"Alright then, Lillian, use Crunch!"

Lillian charged at Sir Hiss and clamped her jaws around his tail, causing him to let out a loud screech.

"Sir Hiss, hit her with a Leaf Blade!"

Sir Hiss' tail sharpened into a blade and swiped at Lillian, knocking her out. Bianca returned her and smiled.

"Seems you're as strong as ever, Touya! But I'm not about to give up! Go Frying Pan!"

A Simisear emerged this time. Touya decided to send out Screech this time.

"Alright, Pan! Try shutting down some of his defenses! Use Leer!"

Frying Pan glared at Screech in an intimidating manner, prompting a look of fear from Screech.

"It's okay Screech, just use an Ancient Power!"

Screech sent out a bunch of rocks from the ground, hitting the fiery monkey.

"Frying Pan, use Fury Swipes!"

"Dodge it Screech!"

Frying Pan lunged at Screech and tried to scratch at him with his claws whilst Screech dodged the attacks, leaping backward, flapping his wings and whipping his tail around.

"Now hit him with a Dragon Breath!"

Screech flew upward and fired a blast of draconic breath at the fire monkey, knocking him out cold.

"Frying Pan, return! Go Bubbles!"

"Screech, return! Get out there, Breezy!"

Bubbles the Samurott burst out of the next Pokeball Bianca threw while Breezy emerged next on Touya's side.

"Bubbles, use Aqua Jet!"

"Breezy, dodge it!"

Bubbles moved at a blinding speed and Breezy tried to avoid it, only to be hit with the attack. Breezy squawked and Touya smiled assuringly.

"Don't panic, Breezy! Use Fly!"

Breezy spread out his wings and flew upward, prompting an annoyed look from the large blue pinniped as he dodged his attacks, before swooping down and attacking Bubbles.

"Bubbles, don't let that stop you! Use Slash!"

The long horn on Bubbles' helmet glinted in the light as he slashed at Breezy with it, knocking him out.

"Breezy, return!" said Touya, genuinely surprised, "You're getting better, Bianca! Go Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss emerged next and Touya ordered him to use Leaf Tornado, knocking Bubbles out in the process.

"Return, Bubbles! Here's my last Pokemon! Go Shaula!"

Bianca's Musharna arrived on the scene this time, floating there with a serene expression.

"Sir Hiss, fall back! Screech, go!"

Screech went next as Sir Hiss backed up next to Touya. 

"Use Dragon Breath, Screech!"

Screech sent out his multicolored mouth beam at Shaula, who let out a shriek and was weakened, but wasn't knocked out.

"Alright, Shaula, use Psybeam!"

Shaula shot her opponent with a mental beam, knocking Screech out in the process.

"Wow," said Touya, "well then, Sir Hiss, how about we finish this together?"

Sir Hiss nodded and slithered forward. 

"Use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss sent a wind of leaves at Shaula, finishing what Screech had started and knocking the little pink tapir out.

"Shaula, return!" said Bianca, "The Pokemon on both sides tried so hard, didn't they? Thanks for battling me, Touya! I feel like I learned a thing or two!"

"You're clearly getting better, Bianca," said Touya, smiling, "you've never fainted my Pokemon before!"

Bianca smiled and said, "Back in Castelia, poor Shaula was stolen by Team Plasma, so I understand exactly how bad it would be for them to win. Being forced to give up our Pokemon...it'd feel no different from them being stolen. So I wanna help you stop them! Here Touya, this is for you!"

She handed him a Full Restore.

"Thanks, Bianca! This should come in handy. Hey Bianca, you have a bike?"

"Yeah, why?"

"Well...how about we take that to Opelucid? Together?"

"Sounds like a good idea!"

"Road trip!" shouted Juliet. 

\----

"You're totally wrong," said Elesa, at the Pokemon League conference room, "Amethyst is totally a great character! She's fun, tough and acts like a big sister to Steven!"

Clay scoffed and said, "She's also a lazy layabout wit' no work ethic or moral compass. Now Garnet, she's best Gem material if I ever saw it. Strong, level-headed, a hard worker..."

"She'd be nowhere without Ruby and Sapphire, though," countered Elesa, "she wouldn't even exist then!"

"Yeah, but she's said it many times before," said Clay, "she's more than just the sum of her parts--sure the little ladies who make 'er up are physical components of hers, but she's still 'er own Gem wit' her own thoughts."

"Fair enough, but even so, you can't just label Amethyst useless just because she prefers to have a little fun!"

"There's a difference between havin' a little fun and bein' a hedonistic troublemaker. Amethyst doesn't know when ta draw the line."

"I like Pearl!" said Skyla, cutting into the debate, prompting a look from both participants.

"Everyone," called out Alder, entering the room, "settle down and listen to me. It seems that Team Plasma intends to attack the League directly. Did any of you encounter a boy calling himself N recently? I know Lenora battled him."

"You mean that green-haired boy?" asked Burgh, sitting next to Grimsley of the Elite Four, "Wait, he's a Team Plasma member? Aww, he seemed so sweet!"

"He's their leader," said Elesa, "and yeah, he battled me too. I wanted so bad to crush those desert Pokemon of his..."

"I battled him too," said Skyla, "he seemed kinda nice, to me."

"So all of the Gym Leaders besides Drayden fought him?" asked Alder.

"By this point, I'd say yes." said Brycen.

"What does this mean for us?" asked Shauntal, one of the Elite Four members.

"We're gonna need to hold down the fort here at the League," said Alder, "Caitlin, can you predict what N might be up to?"

"Probably," said Caitlin, another member of the Elite Four, in a bored voice, "but remember that my powers don't work so well when I'm awake. If I have a dream involving this N kid taking us all out, I can warn you about any particularly bad threats."

"Much obliged, Caitlin," said Alder, "as for the rest of the Elite Four, be on guard, alright? I'm the one he's kind of sort of not actually after, so he might go a little easy on you."

The members of the Elite Four nodded.

"Someone will have to warn Drayden and Iris about N's arrival," said Cilan, looking concerned."

"A warning would be good, but I think both of them can take care of themselves. Besides, we have someone heading that way to meet them..."

\----

Soon enough, Touya, Bianca and Juliet made it to Opelucid City and met Cheren, already wearing his Legend Badge, at the city's opening. The streets were lined with bright shining neon lights and overall the city had a high tech look to it.

As the group entered the city, they saw a tall, muscular man with a white beard trimmed in the shape of a dragon's jaws, standing next to the familiar form of Iris.

"Hey guys!" called out Iris, waving, "Over here!"

"Hey Iris!" said Bianca, smiling, "How have things been?"

"Some green-haired windbag is trying to convince everyone to release their Pokemon."

"Oh God, don't tell me..." said Cheren.

Touya, Bianca, Cheren and Juliet joined Drayden and Iris in watching the little "rally". Sure enough, Ghetsis was standing there, with two grunts Touya recognized as Hanover and Mara flanking him.

"That's correct!" said Ghetsis, dramatically to the crowd in front of him, "Our lord N has combined his power with the legendary Dragon-type Pokemon and intends to create a new world. We herald the return of the hero of Unova, founder of this region."

The people all whispered amongst themselves, some concerned, some disbelieving, some unsure of what to think. Touya, Bianca, Cheren and Juliet, however, knew the truth.

"Pokemon are different from people," Ghetsis went on, "they are living beings who contain unknown potential. They are living beings from whom we humans have much to learn. They are beings whose greatness we should acknowledge! Beings who should be freed from our oppression! We, Team Plasma, invite you to join us! We all want to create a new world where people and Pokemon are both free! Ladies and gentlemen, I ask you now...please, release your Pokemon. And so I end my plea to you today. Thank you one and all for your attention."

With that Ghetsis headed away with his grunts, while the crowd murmured together.

"Geez, what a load of crap." said Iris.

"Tell me about it," said Cheren, "these Plasma goons are a waste of oxygen."

"Really now?" said Ghetsis' voice from behind, prompting everyone to turn and look at him in alarm. He was standing behind them all now, smirking at them.

"You may have the public fooled, but we know what you're up to!" said Touya.

Ghetsis rolled his visible eye, but then noticed something...

"Tell me, boy, do you have the Light Stone now?"

"Y-Yes..." said Touya, losing steam.

"Excellent," said Ghetsis, "I congratulate you on a job well done. It is my lord N's thought that the two holders of the legendary Pokemon should put their beliefs on the line and strive to find which is the true hero."

Touya glared at him, as did Juliet. Bianca shrank back a little behind an annoyed looking Cheren, while Iris just crossed her arms and Drayden placed his hands on her shoulders.

"This is not necessary, however." Ghetsis went on, "From his infancy, my fellow Sages and I provided him with the education required to become the hero of legend. Indeed, he has been so acknowledged by the legendary Pokemon. Such purity of purpose is his..."

Touya was becoming more and more suspicious of Ghetsis at this point. He had all but confirmed that he had more power in this organization than he was claiming, which made Touya more convinced that, at the very least, N wasn't the true mastermind in this situation.

"The cooperation of people and Pokemon is how Unova came to exist to begin with." said Drayden, calmly but with a hint of anger in his voice, "if a Pokemon really didn't want anything to do with humans, it would simply leave...capturing a Pokemon in a Pokeball doesn't mean you've captured its heart."

Ghetsis glared at Drayden, then sneered again.

"You are one of the foolish ones who we will separate Pokemon from. Once our plan succeeds..."

Touya glared angrily at him. Ghetsis took notice of this and chuckled before leaving.

"Hanover, Euphony, come. We're leaving."

Mara sighed as she followed, while Hanover gave Touya a "slashing" gesture by moving his finger along his throat.

"What a creep," said Iris, "well, you guys wanna come to mine and papa's place?"

"We'd love to!" said Bianca.

\----

The group headed over to Drayden and Iris' house, where Drayden brewed some coffee for everyone.

"So Drayden," asked Touya as Drayden handed him a cup of coffee, "can you tell me more about the Light Stone?"

"Certainly," said Drayden, taking a sip from his own coffee cup, "what you are holding is the Light Stone. Reshiram, who will likely awaken from the Light Stone, and Zekrom, who is already awake, were once the same Pokemon."

"Really?" asked Bianca, looking surprised.

"Really!" said Iris, heading over to sit next to Drayden, "That single Dragon Pokemon, along with twin heroes, brought a new region into being. And people and Pokemon had happy lives!"

"Indeed," said Drayden, "one day, however, the twin heroes--the older brother who sought the truth, and the younger brother who sought ideals--began to argue about how to decide which one of them was right...the single Dragon-type Pokemon that had been with them all that time split its body into two. One sided with the older brother and the other with the younger brother."

"In its pursuit of truth, the white Dragon-type Pokémon sought to usher in a new and better world," said Iris, "its name was Reshiram. And the other, the black Dragon-type Pokemon, sought ideals and to usher in a new world--a world of hope. Its name was Zekrom."

"Wow," said Juliet, "I've been hearing both names a lot, but I had no idea they used to be one and the same..."

"It gets crazier," said Iris, "they say that there may have been a third dragon too--one who was essentially the spare parts of the dragons left over from the split."

"Should we try looking for that dragon?" asked Bianca. Drayden shook his head.

"No one knows where that particular dragon lives, and it's said to be too unstable to fight anyway. Now, because the other two were once the same entity, their battle raged endlessly and neither one could be declared the winner. They simply exhausted themselves. The twin heroes proclaimed that there was no one side that was right and ceased the conflict."

"I suppose this means Team Plasma couldn't learn from history," said Touya, looking down at the Light Stone, "if the two brothers declared peace after the conflict..."

"Yeah, but..." continued Iris, suddenly looking a bit angry, "the two heroes' sons started the whole thing all over again! And an instant later, Reshiram and Zekrom destroyed Unova with fire and lightning! Then, they disappeared! But if people work with Pokemon in the right way, we don't have to worry anymore about the world being destroyed. I mean, Reshiram and Zekrom worked hard for everyone and made a new region! So, it should be all right, I think."

"Aw man," said Bianca, "Touya, are you sure you're up to this craziness?"

"No," said Touya, deciding to be as honest as possible, "but for the sake of all Unova, I have to try."

"Things are getting pretty intense," said Juliet looking up at Touya, who simply smiled and patted her head.

"Drayden," said Bianca, "since N and the rest of Team Plasma intend to attack the League directly, Touya, Cheren and I must make it to the League ourselves to counter them. So with this in mind..."

"Say no more," said Drayden, a smile audible under his beard, "you wish to obtain the Legend Badge, don't you? As you can see, Cheren already obtained his."

"As soon as possible," said Touya.

"Then let's make things easy for ya," said Iris, smiling, "I'll challenge Bianca, papa will challenge Touya!"

"It's a little late for that right now, Iris," said Drayden, "I know it's important, but there's no use saving the world whilst running on fumes. Come, you four, you can rest here for now."

\----

Touya finished washing up, brushing his teeth and changing into his sleepwear when he walked passed Drayden's office. Drayden was sitting there, speaking into a large monitor phone, on which Alder was visible.

"So he was there in Opelucid?" asked Alder.

"Yes, telling everyone to release their Pokemon, of course," said Drayden.

"Ghetsis... What a liar. Desperately trying to con everyone with his speech."

Drayden nodded.

"He also said a Trainer named N has reawakened Zekrom," added Drayden.

"He did," said Alder, "I saw him do it myself. He also told Touya to seek Reshiram."

"I'm aware," said Drayden, "Touya informed me of it. I'll try to assist Touya in resurrecting Reshiram in any way I can. As for you, sir?"

"I'm going to the Pokemon League," said Alder, "well, I guess in this case I should say I'm 'returning' to the Pokemon League! Of course, I'll defeat N! I'll teach him about the beauty of this world, where Pokemon and Trainers live together in harmony! Also, Touya, I'll await your arrival."

Touya tensed and Drayden turned around to see him. Touya had forgotten that Alder could see him on his end of the screen. Touya blushed and gave nervous grin to Drayden, afraid that he was about to get a scolding for eavesdropping, but fortunately Drayden didn't seem upset while Alder just chuckled.

"Once you've obtained the Legend Badge, come to the League! Drayden is tough. Take care!"

"Good to know." said Touya, chuckling.

"Farewell, Drayden," added Alder, turning to the Gym Leader with a smile, "I'm counting on you and Iris!"

"Farewell to you too, sir," said Drayden, standing up straight and saluting, "good luck on confronting N."

Alder nodded before hanging up, prompting Drayden to shut off the screen. Drayden then turned to look at Touya.

\----

"Is something troubling you, Touya?" asked Drayden.

"Not quite...but I was wondering if you could explain the Dragon-type to me. It was one of the few types I never quite understood, even under Professor Juniper's teachings."

"Ah, excellent question," Drayden said, sitting back down at his desk and pulling some cards out of a drawer "I used to teach a class on this."

There were eighteen cards in all, and Touya could recognize the symbols on all but one:

A grey star that represented the Normal-type. 

A red ember representing the Fire-type.

A green leaf representing the Grass-type.

A blue droplet representing the Water-type.

A yellow lightning bolt representing the Electric-type.

A purple eye representing the Psychic-type.

A pale blue crystal representing the Ice-type.

A dark red fist representing the Fighting-type.

A pale green insect representing the Bug-type.

A sky-blue wing representing the Flying-type.

A brown mound of earth representing the Ground-type.

A sickly purple skull representing the Poison-type.

A shadow with eyes representing the Ghost-type.

A grey mountain representing Rock-types.

A metallic silver bolt representing the Steel-type.

A pair of black devil horns representing Dark-types.

A deep blue dragon head representing Dragon-types.

And finally, a pink spark that Touya didn't recognize.

"In order to understand the Dragon-type, you must understand types in general," said Drayden, "do you know the history of the type system?"

"I know that it was invented as a secondary form of classification, alongside cladistics and phylogeny, due to Pokemon having so many powers."

"Yes," said Drayden, "but did you know that the type system was originally made solely to classify moves?"

"I remember reading that," said Touya, "one of Professor Juniper's textbooks mentioned it."

"Types were and still are primarily used to classify moves for Pokemon. People started to classify Pokemon with types too just to make things simpler, but scientifically speaking, types are still primarily meant to describe moves."

"I see," said Touya, "so for example, Flying focuses on speed and control over the wind and atmosphere as opposed to just actually being able to fly."

"Exactly, hence why non Flying-types can learn Aerial Ace, for example. Various types have various different traits and strengths. For instance, Normal-types are jacks of all trades but masters of none. They lack the elemental control of types like Grass and Fire, nor do they have the combative mindsets of Dark and Fighting-types, or mysterious power of Psychic and Ghost-types."

"So what about Dragon-types?" asked Touya, "What's their trait?"

Drayden chuckled and said, "They're jacks of all trades...and masters of _all_."

"Wait, really?" asked Touya, looking more than a little shocked.

"Indeed. Dragon-types are known for an immense amount of power, as if they hit some sort of jackpot in a superpower lottery. No one is quite sure of how they achieved this, though one Professor Wojcik has suggested that they operate on some sort of ultimate primal power, something that any organism can achieve when supercharged with nature's rawest elements*."

"Wow," said Touya, awestruck, "well then, if I'm gonna train Reshiram, I may need to learn more about training Dragon-types. The only Dragon-type I've got is a Druddigon I caught in Dragonspiral Tower, and it's in the PC system with Professor Fennel--my Archeops Screech has Dragon Breath as one of his moves, but he's not a Dragon-type himself."

"Hmm," said Drayden, "well, Archeops may have been a Dragon-type at one time, if you can believe it. Dragon-types are thought to have been much more common back in the time of the dinosaurs. Plenty of modern dinosaur Pokemon are Dragon-types as well, including Haxorus, Druddigon, Altaria and Kommo-o. And some who aren't are still capable of learning Dragon-type moves, such as Aggron, Tropius and Tyranitar."

"There's also one prehistoric non-dinosaurian Pokemon that can use Dragon-type moves, Aerodactyl, if I'm not mistaken?"

"The pterosaur, yes. Dragon-types have only two weaknesses at the moment, Dragon itself and Ice. Ongoing research in Kalos and Hoenn has uncovered a new type that may have specifically adapted to counter Dragon-types somehow."

He picked up the card with the pink spark on it. The word "Fairy-type" was written underneath it.

"I think I heard about that on the news," said Touya, "a scientist in Kalos discovered that type. They granted a professorship because of it, if I'm not mistaken?"

"Yes. These 'Fairy-types' as they've been called display not just an immunity against Dragons, but also deal super-effective damage against not only them, but also Dark-types and Fighting-types."

"Huh. So are there any here in Unova?"

"Not to my knowledge, though Kalosian Whimsicotts are apparently Grass/Fairy instead of simply being Grass. So don't get any ideas of using a Whimsicott against my dragons."

Touya nodded and gave a chuckle. Thinking about it more, Touya wondered what he should do. He had checked, and the Ice-type TM Brycen gave him wasn't compatible with any of his current party. Screech knew Dragon Breath, but from what Drayden was telling him, Dragon-types are essentially super-effective against every other type, so Screech would still be at a disadvantage. Unova had none of these so-called "Fairy-types" either. Touya decided to stash that into a mental note for later, but for the most part, he was looking for how to train them.

When Touya questioned Drayden about that, Drayden nodded and said "I'm glad you asked that--Dragon-types are somewhat similar to Psychic, Dark and Ghost-types in that they're extremely smart by Pokemon standards, but that intelligence only makes it harder to get them to listen to you, because they're stubborn, temperamental and proud. With Dragon-types, they're also extremely passionate."

"Interesting," said Touya, before thinking about what N said about the two dragons, "but if this dragon really did 'choose' me, do you think it might be an exception? Maybe it'll know who I am and obey me immediately?"

"That's certainly a possibility," said Drayden, stroking his beard, "but I'm not sure if I'd count on that...even Pokemon who want to be with a given trainer will request a battle first to prove the trainer's worth. I would not be surprised if Reshiram is that way as well."

"If that is the case, then," said Touya, "I suppose I should train my team up to higher levels."

"Do you have a Lucky Egg? If you do, you can take that to Route 10 after obtaining the Legend Badge. There are pretty high level Pokemon that can deal a lot of experience points."

Touya nodded and stored that in the appropriate mental file, before yawning and rubbing his eye.

"You should get some rest, too," said Drayden, "you don't want to be too exhausted to battle with me or N, do you?"

"Of course not," said Touya, smiling, "Good night, Drayden."

"Good night, Touya."

\----

Touya laid down in his sleeping bag, his Pokemon asleep around him. Staring at the ceiling, he thought about what he and Drayden talked about. He wondered what Reshiram would be like. Would it like him? Would it get angry and refuse to join his team? Would it end up siding with Zekrom and Team Plasma instead?

After some time, Touya simply sighed, rolled over and closed his eyes, drifting off to sleep.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> * "Professor Wojcik" and his explanation about Dragon-type Pokemon is a reference to Bogleech's "Gotta Critique 'Em All" series, which offers what I think is the best explanation for the Dragon-type ever. I give full credit to him for the idea there, here's a link to the specific review: http://www.bogleech.com/pokemon/dragon.html  
> I wasn't sure if I needed his permission, but I intend to ask him. If he's not okay with it, I'll remove the reference and replace it with something else.
> 
> Next installment will have Touya's battle with Drayden!


	37. The Legend Badge

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> WOO! Hello everyone! Next chapter here, plus a special announcement at the end!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

_Touya entered the corridor of the large castle again, the Team Plasma banners waving all around him. He wasn't sure what he was about to see, but this time, he wasn't on his way to the room he initially thought he was..._

_This time, Touya was headed to a much larger room, with a much more extravagant appearance to it. It looked regal...it looked almost...kingly._

_Opening the doors, Touya saw a bright, shining light. Standing silhouetted against the light, was a familiar figure...a figure with long hair and dressed in white..._

_"It's time to settle this," said N, turning to face Touya dramatically, "once and for all!"_

_Out of nowhere, the familiar form of Zekrom burst into the room, roaring at Touya loudly._

"TOUYA!"

Touya's eyes flew open and he looked up to see Juliet staring at him.

"Geez, Touya," she said, "you sure are a heavy sleeper!"

Touya sighed and got out of his sleeping bag. At least this time he had a good idea of what he was seeing in his dream this time. He told Juliet to meet him at the battle stadium before heading off to shower, change and brush his teeth.

After this he checked his bag and sorted through the various items he had. A few he had found on his journey, others he purchased somewhere. In any case, however, he had usually stashed them away in the appropriate part of his pack just in case he'd need them. This included TMs, HMs and type-enhancing items.

One of these items was a Dragon Fang he found in Dragonspiral Tower.

Deciding that he didn't want to risk losing, he decided to give the Dragon Fang to Screech. 

"Screech," he said, holding the Dragon Fang by a thin thread that was hooked through it, "I want you to hold onto this, okay? It'll help you in the fight against Drayden today."

Screech looked at him and then nodded, before bowing his head and letting Touya wrap the Dragon Fang necklace around his neck. It glowed with a purple-red aura.

"Alright," said Touya, "let's do this!"

\----

"Good day, Touya!" declared Drayden, smiling. Or at least, Touya _thought_ he was smiling. It was hard to tell with that dragon jaw beard. Juliet was seated on the sidelines, holding a small flag.

"Good morning, Drayden," said Touya, "where are Cheren and Bianca?"

"Bianca's battling Iris in the next room. Cheren apparently decided that he wanted to watch her battle, for some reason..."

Touya chuckled at this statement.

"Now, let's not waste any more time," said Drayden, "let's begin the battle! I warn you, I won't go easy on you simply because you're going to try to stop Team Plasma! Now get out there, Ladon!"

A medium sized dinosaur with armored skin and a pair of long tusks protruding from its toothless beak appeared out of Drayden's Pokeball, and Touya instantly recognized it as a Fraxure.

"Screech, take him!"

Screech burst out of his Pokeball and glared down at his opponent.

"GO TOUYA!" shouted Juliet, waving her flag.

"Ladon! Use Dragon Rage!"

The Fraxure let out a furious roar and charged at Screech with a fiery aura surrounding him. Slamming hard into his opponent, he knocked Screech backwards. Screech managed to stand his ground, but just barely.

"Okay, Screech, you've got this," said Touya, "use Dragon Breath!"

Screech sent out a ferocious wave from his mouth, hitting the Fraxure and knocking him out.

"Ladon, return! Go, Smok!"

A large, spiky lizard with two long, winglike sails on its back emerged from the next Pokeball. Touya recognized it as a Druddigon, having caught one previously at Dragonspiral. Touya kept Screech in.

"Screech, Dragon Breath again!"

Screech fired his attack a second time, but the bulky reptile leaped out of the way immediately, causing the attack to instead hit the opposing wall. The Druddigon ran at Screech, who continued trying to fire his attack at it, only for it to dodge again.

"Smok, use your signature move! DRAGON TAIL!"

The Druddigon raised its tail and whipped at Screech who let out a squawk as he was suddenly forced back into his Pokeball.

"Wha!?" asked Touya as Sir Hiss was suddenly dragged out in Screech's place. 

"Dragon Tail is a move that forcibly switches the opponent out!" said Drayden, "It's also my specialty move!"

Touya sighed. Well, it certainly could have been worse.

"Sir Hiss, use Giga Drain!"

Sir Hiss rolled his eyes and started draining his opponent of its energy. The Druddigon glared up at him angrily before charging in for another attack.

"Use Revenge, Smok!"

The Druddigon hit Sir Hiss with its spiky arms, injuring the grass snake. Touya remembered hearing about that move--it dealt double damage if the opponent had been injured by the target. Sir Hiss scowled and Touya thought about a possible strategy here.

"Sir Hiss, try using Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss swiped his tail and sent out his attack, slicing into the otherwise very tough skin of the Druddigon. Drayden ordered for Druddigon to use another Revenge, only for Sir Hiss to avoid the attack when Touya shouted for him.

"Smok, use Dragon Tail!"

A swift hit from the Druddigon's tail sent Sir Hiss back to Touya, and Ruff burst out in his place, looking dreafully confused.

"Dangit," grumbled Touya, realizing Ruff was at a disadvantage, "Ruff, use...use Crunch!"

Ruff ran to the Druddigon and bit down into its shoulder, drawing blood, but also causing Ruff some damage too...it must've had the Rough Skin ability...

"Good work, Smok! Give 'im another Revenge!"

"Dodge it Ruff!"

Ruff jumped as the Druddigon lunged forward, trying to bite him.

"Alright, Ruff," said Touya, "that's enough! Come back! Go Screech!"

Ruff returned to his Pokeball and Screech was back in the game again. Touya ordered for him to use another Dragon Breath and soon enough, Screech managed to knock out the Druddigon.

"You've got guts, Touya," said Drayden, returning his fainted Druddigon, "but let's see how you deal with my ace...get out there, Kur!"

Sure enough he sent out a large, bipedal dinosaur with a pair of axe-like tusks protruding from either side of its mouth. Haxorus, Fraxure's final evolution. Touya thought that perhaps another Dragon Breath should do the trick...

"Screech, Dragon Breath!"

Screech's attack missed.

"Dragon Tail, Kur!"

"DANG IT."

The Haxorus swiped at Screech with its tail and sent him back to his Pokeball, dragging Ruff out in his place.

Ruff growled angrily at the Haxorus, which let out a hearty, growling laugh in response. Touya, angered, said "Alright Ruff, no more Mr. Nice Guy! Ruff, use Crunch!"

Ruff leaped upward, dodging another attack from the Haxorus, and landed right behind it. Opening his mouth wide, he bit down hard on its tail, noticeably drawing blood in the process. The Haxorus let out a pained growl as Ruff ran, dodging another attack.

"Kur! Use Drago-"

"USE TAKE DOWN RUFF!"

Ruff slammed right into Haxorus, knocking him backwards, nearly hitting Drayden who moved out of the way just in time. The Haxorus struggled upward, growling furiously as it tried to attack Ruff again. Ruff dodged the attack and circled around the dragon, teeth bared, ready for another attack.

"Ruff, use one more Crunch! Give it all you've got!"

Ruff jumped up and bit down on the drake's shoulder. The Haxorus let out a loud roar and soon collapsed to the ground with a great thud. Touya smiled, Juliet cheered and Drayden gave an approving nod.

"Well then, Touya," said Drayden, approaching the young trainer, "congratulations! Here is your final badge."

He handed Touya the Legend Badge. Touya smiled and clipped it to the inside of his coat. Now he had all the badges he needed to enter the league and battle the Elite Four.

And, if Alder doesn't manage to stop him first, he had enough to face N...

\----

Bianca, Cheren and Iris exited the next room just as Touya, Juliet and Drayden left. Bianca smiled and said "Hey Touya! Did you win?"

"Yep!" said Touya, showing off the badge in his coat, "You?"

"Yeah!" Bianca added, pointing to her hat, on which all eight badges were pinned in two rows of four, one row above the other. Cheren grinned.

"The four of you should be headed to Victory Road soon!" said Iris, smiling.

"Indeed you should," said Drayden, "especially if you want to fight the League."

"Or Team Plasma," said Cheren, his glasses glinting, "once they're outta the way, I'll try to become Champion myself!"

"And here I thought you'd forgotten about that," said Bianca, sarcastically, "we'll see you around Iris, Drayden!"

"Good luck out there," said Drayden, "too all of you!"

No sooner had they said their farewells than they stepped outside to see Professor Juniper, smiling at them.

"Hello! Was Drayden as tough as ever?" she said, cheerfully.

"Yeah, he was," said Touya, "what are you doing here?"

"Oh! I came to report that Fennel, Lenora and I conducted some research and we may have figured out how to resurrect the legendary Reshiram!"

"You have?" said Touya, quite shocked at the news.

"Indeed! I thought it would be better to tell you in person than over the XTransciever!"

There was a long pause.

"Well?" asked Bianca.

"Well what?" asked Professor Juniper.

"What's the method of resurrecting Reshiram?" asked Cheren.

"OH! That! Well...I haven't figured it out _exactly_..."

The reaction to this statement was swift. Touya facepalmed. Cheren shouted "WHAT!?". Bianca chuckled nervously. Juliet was about to make a sarcastic comment before Touya covered her mouth.

"We worked super hard," said Professor Juniper, defensively, "we were able to hypothesize possible methods, but we had no way of figuring out which one would work. Ultimately, all we could conclude was that the dragon will come out when it thinks you're ready."

Touya sighed. It was hardly the most scientific explanation, quite the contrary, it was the biggest cliche he could possibly think of. But he supposed it was all they had to go on.

"In the meantime," said Professor Juniper, grinning slyly, "I'll give you this as a gift!"

She handed Touya a Pokeball...one that was purple and white with pink bulbs on top of it and a white "M" printed on the front.

Bianca gasped, Cheren gawked and Touya stared in silent shock.

"THE MASTER BALL!?" screeched Cheren, glasses flashing; there were only a few Master Balls in existence, all of which were manufactured by the various branches of the multi-million dollar Silph Company and capable of capturing any Pokemon without fail. It was typically only given to people in positions of power, usually Professors. Touya had been aware that Professor Juniper was the holder of the one from the Unova branch of Silph Co., but he never thought she'd give it to anyone in her tutorage, let alone himself.

"Professor," said Touya, hand shaking, "you're seriously just _handing_ me the Master Ball?"

"Reshiram may not think you're ready yet," said Professor Juniper with a smile, "but I think you are! I have a feeling that it'll want you to catch it, and with this you can't fail!"

Touya stared down at the Master Ball in awe. Bianca and Juliet both looked excited. Cheren looked a tiny bit jealous.

"Well, then," said Touya, seriously, "I will not let you down, Professor."

"I'm sure you won't," said Professor Juniper, grinning, "just as long as you use it on Reshiram. Though you can make an exception if you encounter a Shiny Pokemon." she added with a wink.

Touya laughed.

"Thanks, Professor! We're headed to the League!"

"Yeah," said Cheren, snapping out of it, "we're gonna take N and Team Plasma down!"

"Or maybe convince N to make a switch," Touya offered, prompting a scoff from Cheren, "either way, we're going to the League."

"Great!" said Professor Juniper, "Now that you have all eight badges, you can go through Route 10 and then head into the Badge check gates."

"Hmm," said Touya, "I think I'm gonna grind a little more during Route 10. And get some more catches for the Pokedex!"

"Alrighty then!" said Professor Juniper, "Good luck to all of you! I'm headed back to the lab, contact me when you're finished battling the Elite Four! If you don't, I'll be aware of whether or not something happened and head over to the League to help you out! See ya!"

With that, the Professor left.

"She sure loves to talk, doesn't she?" said Juliet.

"You don't know the half of it." said Bianca.

\----

"Breezy, use Fly!"

Breezy heeded Touya's order and soared upward before swooping down to hit Cheren's Simisage with his talons and beak. Cheren had challenged Touya to one last practice round before taking on the Elite Four, and Touya figured it was a good way to add more levels to his team. Touya had already managed to knock out his Unfezant and Liepard at this point, and now his Simisage was down for the count. His starter was all he had to fight now.

"You're getting better, Touya," said Cheren, grinning as he returned his Simisage to his Pokeball, "now try this on for size!"

Abner burst out of the next Pokeball, bumping his fists together.

"Okay, you can do this Breezy! Try using Fly again!"

Breezy let out a trilling call and leaped into the air. Folding his wings back, he plunged in a stoop downward and hit Abner point blank. But Abner wasn't damaged enough. When Breezy landed next to Touya, Cheren gave Abner his first command.

"Flamethrower, Abner!"

A stream of fire burst out of Abner's mouth and hit Breezy, knocking him out, much to Touya's alarm.

"Cheren, you roasted my pheasant!" shouted Touya, returning Breezy to his Pokeball before sending out Sea Monkey.

"Indeed I did!" said Cheren, smirking, "Now use Heat Crash!"

"Sea Monkey, dodge it!"

Abner wreathed himself in fire and charged toward Sea Monkey, who jumped out of the way, causing Abner to lose his balance and fall into the water nearby, dousing his fire. Sea Monkey giggled in response as the annoyed fiery boar scrambled back onto the bridge.

"Don't worry about it, Abner," said Cheren with a chuckle, as his starter shook the water off of his coat, "try hitting her with Take Down!"

Sea Monkey jumped again but couldn't avoid the attack this time--Abner charged at Sea Monkey and slammed into her headfirst, weakening her and receiving damage by recoil. Touya called out "Sea Monkey, use Surf!"

Sea Monkey summoned a wave from the river nearby and drenched Abner with it. Abner let out a squeal before collapsing to the ground with a mighty crash. Cheren sighed and returned his starter.

"Yep, you're really something else, Touya," said Cheren, shaking his head and putting on a smile, "and I mean that sincerely."

"Thanks," said Touya, chuckling before patting Cheren on the shoulder, "you too."

"Whatever," said Cheren.

"No really," said Touya, "you are! You're stronger than you think. You managed to make _two_ of my Pokemon faint this time! Plus, you're always one step ahead of me with your badges!"

"Well, I guess I can't argue with that. By the by, want me to heal your Pokemon?"

"Certainly!"

As Cheren healed Touya's Pokemon, he continued with "Even so, I don't think there’s any way I can compare with you, Touya. But if there is anything I can do to help in the battle with N, just say so, okay?"

"Okay, for starters, you can stop feeling sorry for yourself and remember that you're a great battler on your own."

Cheren grinned and handed his fully healed Pokemon to his friend.

"HEY GUYS!" called out Juliet from the road ahead, standing next to Bianca, "IF YOU TWO ARE DONE COMPARING ONIXES, WE HAVE A LEAGUE TO GET TO!"

"Are you sure she's a preschooler?" asked Cheren, blushing at Juliet's "comparing Onixes" comment.

"Sometimes I wonder," said Touya with a chuckle, "c'mon, let's not leave the girls waiting."

\----

"Are you sure you don't want to go to the League right away?" asked Bianca. Cheren had already gone ahead.

"I'm probably gonna have to get there pretty soon," said Touya, "but my team's still a little bit underleveled. It shouldn't take long for me to get their levels up, but I don't want to take any chances when facing off against N. I'll catch up to you guys as soon as I can!"

"Well alright then," said Bianca, smiling, "I'll see you two at the League!"

With that, Bianca left, Touya and Juliet waving goodbye to her.

"So," said Juliet, "what are we doing?"

"Well," said Touya, "I haven't been using Prima in battle that often, so she doesn't have as much experience. Sea Monkey and Ruff are also underleveled compared to Sir Hiss, Screech and Breezy. So I'm gonna try to help them gain more levels."

"Okay then," said Juliet, "if you need someone to spar with, you can always ask me!"

Touya chuckled.

"I'll consider that. Let's get goAUGH!"

There was a chattering as something with wings jumped out of the grass and flapped its wings in his face. When Touya managed to push it away, he saw that his attacker was a small, baby vulture, wearing a hollowed out skull for a diaper.

"Welp, I guess we got our first target...as well as a new Pokedex entry. Get out there, Prima!"

\----

_Vullaby_   
_Scavengra_   
_Quirky Nature_   
_Met at Level 34_   
_Good perserverance_

\----

N Harmonia looked up at the Pokemon League, Pokeball in hand.

"For Pokemon everywhere...Team Plasma will prevail..."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...as I was writing this, I had a fairly shocking revelation...I'm getting closer and closer to the endgame. Yeah, I really am! I'm both happy and a little nervous. Part of me is worrying that I've been rushing a bit. Still, I'm also aware that my story isn't over yet--there are still more chapters to come...it's just that they're fewer than I initially thought there would be. 
> 
> For starters, I don't intend to show you the grinding session Touya does, though I did some... _interesting_ stuff during said session. What do you WANT to see Touya running around and grinding so that Prima, Sea Monkey and Ruff can go up in levels? That'd work in a Let's Play, but not in a written story. The plot has to keep moving, so Touya has to get to the League quickly. Fortunately, his team isn't NEARLY as underleveled here as it was in the actual game. It took me days to get them to catch up @_@
> 
> The next two chapters actually won't involve Touya at all, but instead will be omake chapters. The first will be a bonding moment between Cheren and Bianca that, oddly enough, will likely have nothing to do with shipping. The one after that will be centered around Team Plasma. The rest of the chapters will return to the action, starting with Touya traversing through Victory Road, and will keep going until the grand finale.
> 
> Until next time, see ya!


	38. Cheren and Bianca

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm back! Who missed me?
> 
> *cricket chirps*
> 
> Yeah, I thought so XD
> 
> Anyway, this installment is all about Cheren and Bianca, because I wanted them to have an entire chapter to themselves and their character development. Surprisingly, there's nothing romantic occurring in this one. No worries though, they'll get together by the end of all this ^_^
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

Touya smiled as Prima finished with her attack on the Audino. Swishing her tail from side to side, Prima had grinned proudly as Touya sat down and patted her on the head.

"You've done good, Prima! Now it's time to switch with Sea Monkey, 'kay?"

Prima saluted and handed him the Lucky Egg, before returning to her Pokeball. Touya let Sea Monkey out and handed her the Lucky Egg.

"Okay Sea Monkey," said Touya, "Ruff and Prima are done leveling up, so let's get you up next and we'll be ready to face off against the Elite Four, alright?"

Sea Monkey nodded enthusiastically and started seeking out opponents.

"Say, Touya," said Juliet, following him along, "what do you think Cheren and Bianca are up to?"

Touya thought about that and turned his attention to Victory Road, standing high above the horizon.

"Hmm...if I know them, they're probably working pretty hard...I wonder..."

\----

Bianca wandered into Victory Road with a smile. She had just finished battling an Ace Trainer, had captured a Mienfoo and was now looking for Cheren.

Cheren had asked her to come find him as he traversed through the area, trying to make it to the League. Unfortunately, Victory Road was a very long and winding road, consisting of a cave, a mountain and many, many chambers.

"Hmm," she said, "it's awfully dark...there must be a way for me to get through here...Oh wait, I know! Lillian, Luna, get out there!"

Her Stoutland and Chandelure burst out of the Pokeballs. Lillian barked loudly and happily while Luna made a chiming noise.

"Lillian," said Bianca, smiling, "please sniff out Cheren for me!"

Lillian nodded and began sniffing the ground. 

"Luna, light the way for us!"

Luna made another chiming noise and floated upward, her head and the tips of her tentacles glowing brightly. Bianca looked around at the cave and smiled. It was a fascinating place, sure enough, but it was a bit dreary. She made a mental note to come back with Professor Juniper sometime.

Bianca was brought back from her thoughts when she heard Lillian barking--she found Cheren. Bianca followed her and sure enough, Cheren was sitting there rubbing his head, which had a large bruise on it.

"CHEREN!" shouted Bianca, incredibly concerned, "What happened!?"

"Ugh, don't ask..."

\----

Turned out, Cheren had fallen over and knocked his head into one of the rocks while battling a Durant with his new Gigalith. He had obtained it by trading the Carracosta he obtained in Relic Castle for a Boldore. The Durant scrambled away before Cheren could get up.

"I'm sorry to hear that, Cheren," said Bianca as she bandaged his head, "you should really be more careful!"

"I know, I know," said Cheren, sighing, "I did not expect this whole place to be as difficult to traverse as it was."

"Neither did I," said Bianca, "but I suppose I should have. The League seems to love challenging its participants, doesn't it?"

Cheren nodded before the two continued on, Luna lighting the way as they did so.

"So have you battled anyone while here?" asked Bianca, hoping to start up conversation with her friend.

"No," said Cheren, "I've been trying to keep my Pokemon as healthy as possible for the fight against the Elite Four."

"Oh, good idea," Bianca said with a smile, "I hear that the Elite Four are really tough."

"And that's _just_ the Elite Four. The Champion's even tougher...though that might not be a problem for us anymore, if N has his way..." 

"Hey, don't worry Cheren," said Bianca, "maybe Alder will be able to stop him!"

"Not with the legendary dragon on his side."

Bianca quickly noticed that Cheren seemed a bit more melancholy than normal; his shoulders were slumped, his eyes were downcast and his voice seemed a bit deeper and scratchier. He definitely needed some cheering up, which luckily, Bianca was able to do. She usually was the one to do it for him. Placing a hand on his shoulder, she spoke up again.

"Oh come on, Cheren," said Bianca, "if Alder doesn't stop N, Touya will! I know it! And we won't have to be separated from our Pokemon!"

Cheren turned to Bianca with a weak smile. That was a plus...maybe...perhaps she should be more direct.

"Cheren...is something wrong?"

Cheren said nothing. He clearly didn't want to talk about whatever was bothering him.

"Cheren?" prodded Bianca again, "If you need to talk about something, you know you can talk to me, right?"

Cheren turned to look at her, then sighed and turned away again. Bianca sat down on a nearby rock and said "Come on Cheren, just sit down right here! We can talk about this!"

Cheren looked at her again, looking a fair bit uncertain. But then he relented and sat down next to her.

"Now tell me what's wrong," said Bianca, smiling comfortingly.

"Nothing is _wrong_ ," said Cheren, "per se..."

"Cheren, you're a good trainer and a good friend, but a truly awful liar."

Cheren cringed a little at Bianca's brutal honesty. 

"Come on, Cheren, tell me what's wrong!"

"Okay, okay," said Cheren, "I...I'm scared, okay?"

"Scared of what?" asked Bianca, "Team Plasma? Challenging the League?"

"No...well, not _exactly_...I...I'm scared that I'm not gonna be good enough to help Touya...actually, I'm scared that I'm not good enough in general."

"Oh Cheren," said Bianca, comfortingly, "you're a great trainer and you can help Touya!"

"It's not that simple, Bianca," said Cheren, "I...I've been feeling this way for a long time..."

"You have?"

"It wasn't obvious? I'm not as strong as Touya. I'm not as determined as you. I know all about the Pokemon League. I know every battle strategy. I've learned all I need to know about Pokemon battles and training. I'm one step ahead of both of you guys when we go to the Gyms..."

"Indeed," said Bianca, chuckling, "you miss breakfast...lunch...dinner..."

"And yet, I'm not strong enough to fight Touya! And you finally found out what you want to do, haven't you?"

"Well, yes," said Bianca, "I really like doing science with Professor Juniper!"

"See? I don't know what I should do, now."

"I thought you wanted to be League Champion."

"I did...until I found out that Touya _has_ to challenge the League and _HAS_ to win. And that the safety of Unova depends on it."

Bianca looked at him and he went on.

"I'm happy for Touya, and I'm gonna root for him, but...is it wrong to feel a little bit jealous? My best friend in the world is so important and everything...and here I am, a normal trainer who can't keep up with him."

"Cheren..."

"I wanted to do something important with my life. I wanted people to know who I am. I wanted someone, _anyone_ to acknowledge that my life was worth living...but...but I guess that was just a childish fantasy I had to wake up from..."

"Why did you want people to know you so badly, anyway?" asked Bianca, realizing that she had never asked this of him before.

"My whole family is full of tough trainers, Bianca," said Cheren, "and all my life I've been overshadowed by my brothers! Touya thinks he has it bad with Hilda, but I had to deal with _three_ older siblings who all overshadowed both me and each other. Like, I don't usually complain about this, but that was before Touya turned out to be as important as he is! So I'm going to be overshadowed by him too. He's gonna save the world and I'm gonna be a nameless nobody. And God, I feel so incredibly selfish just saying that. I should be happy for Touya. I should be supporting him because I don't want Team Plasma to win! But I just...I just can't help but feel jealous, okay?"

"Cheren?"

"Seeing how important Touya is only makes me feel more worthless-" 

"Cheren?"

"-and I'm angry at myself for only thinking of myself when all of Unova is in danger-"

"Cheren!"

"-which only makes me feel worse, and-" 

"CHEREN!"

"What?"

"Are you really convinced that you aren't important?"

Cheren froze at that statement. Bianca was staring at him rather intensely, her expression very serious. This caught Cheren off guard--Bianca was often the one who asked him and Touya to relax, but now Cheren felt like he'd have to reverse that. At any rate, he didn't know how to respond to what Bianca had just asked.

"I...I..." stammered Cheren before he finally found his voice, "yes, I am."

"Well you're wrong!" said Bianca, "There's so much you are capable of! You are smart for one thing! You're a great strategist and know so much about Pokemon training!"

"...I suppose that's true..."

"It IS true! You're also brave! Everytime Team Plasma does something evil, you always jump in to stop them! You never hesitate, you never show any fear! Like when you and Touya saved that little girl's Pokemon!"

Cheren gave a thoughtful look...and then smiled. Bianca took that as a good sign and kept going.

"So you should stop worrying! You can help Touya and Alder, as can I!"

"Thanks Bianca," said Cheren, sighing, "I needed that..."

"You're welcome. And you should smile more! You look nice when you smile!"

Cheren blushed in response and stammered "Th-thank you..."

"C'mon, let's keep going! We can talk more as we go on!"

\----

As they went on, their conversations had segued to stories about their childhoods, Luna still lighting the way for them.

"Remember that one Christmas," asked Bianca, "when the three of us waited up all night for Santa?"

"Yeah, and then a Jynx came down Touya's chimney and put us to sleep with her Lovely Kiss attack."

Bianca giggled.

"And remember when Professor Juniper took us to the Nature Preserve and you swore you saw a shiny Fraxure?"

"And I'm still convinced I did," said Cheren, "it stole my sandwich during our picnic!"

"Oh! Speaking of Fraxures!"

Cheren noticed that Bianca had stopped when she said this and sure enough, he saw a Fraxure standing in front of them. It wasn't shiny, but it was definitely a specimen of the diminutive Dragon-type. It was just standing there, scratching for food until it noticed them, standing on high alert.

Thinking quickly, Cheren pulled out a Pokeball and sent Abner out.

"Alright Abner, let's catch this dragon! Use Flamethrower!"

Abner sent a jet of fire from his nostrils, hitting the angry looking Fraxure.

"Now use Heat Crash!"

Abner was about to do that, but the Fraxure leaped at him and slashed at him with his tusks.

"Ah! Uh, okay Abner, don't give up just yet! Use Take Down!"

Abner ran towards his opponent and slammed into it as hard as he could, suffering slight recoil damage in the process. The Fraxure winced, evidently weakened enough to catch.

 _"Here goes nothing..."_ thought Cheren.

He tossed a Pokeball, which opened up and pulled the dragon inside. The ball dropped to the ground and twitched a few times...and then, it stopped.

"YES!" shouted Cheren.

"Congrats!" said Bianca, excitedly.

Abner grabbed Cheren and pulled him into a tight bear hug, smiling all the while.

"Heh, thanks Abner," said Cheren, smiling despite the force of his Pokemon's hug, "I couldn't have done it without you!"

"See Cheren?" said Bianca, smiling as Abner released his trainer, "Abner thinks you're a good trainer!"

"Yeah, heh," said Cheren, petting his giant, fiery boar with a smile, "I guess he does. Here, Abner, have a snack!"

He pulled out a handful of berries and handed it to Abner, who gobbled down the berries happily. Bianca giggled in response.

"Hey Abner," said Cheren, "how about you light the way for us now? Give Luna a break?"

Abner nodded, flaring up his fiery mane as Bianca returned Luna to her Pokeball.

\----

As Cheren and Bianca continued on, Cheren ended up asking, "Hey Bianca, I forgot...when did you figure out what you wanted to do?"

"Oh!" said Bianca, "Well, it was shortly before my battle with Elesa! Daddy showed up in Nimbasa unannounced-"

"Oh no..." said Cheren, remembering all the unpleasant times he had with Bianca's father, who judged him as a "miscreant" and a "bad influence".

"Yeah," said Bianca, sympathizing with Cheren's annoyance, "and he did exactly what you'd have expected him to do: Demand that I come home."

"And what stopped him?"

"Elesa did! She and Touya talked him into letting me go. So I started thinking about what I wanna do with my life once all of this was over. First, I thought about becoming a model like Elesa, but I quickly decided that wasn't my thing. So as I was thinking it over, I got a call from Professor Juniper, asking for some help with something."

"And of course, you said-"

"Yes! And she and I worked on some science stuff--we listened to some lectures about training and evolution, read a bunch of books...science is really fascinating! For example, did you know that Exeggutor originated in Alola?"

"Really?"

"Yeah! They were exported to Kanto and the Kantonese species didn't have the advantage of a tropical climate or large amounts of sunlight, so its neck shortened over time. And they dropped their Dragon-type, replacing it with the Psychic-type they have as Exeggcutes."

"Huh," said Cheren, "fascinating."

"I know, right?" asked Bianca, cheerfully, as she pulled some notebooks out of her bag, "I took a whole lot of notes on the fauna of Alola! You wanna see?"

"I'm all ears." said Cheren, smiling.

\----

At long last, Cheren and Bianca made it out of Victory Road. Bianca had happily been talking about Alolan variations of Kantonese Pokemon, while Cheren listened with a smile before hearing Abner start snorting loudly. They looked at him to see that they were just outside of the League's badge check gate.

"Ah! We're here!" said Bianca with a smile.

"But," said Cheren, looking around, "where are Touya and Juliet?"

"They're probably still on their way. Do you wanna go in, or wait for them?"

"Hmm...this is a pretty big accomplishment...I don't think I wanna go in without us all together."

"Then we'll wait!" said Bianca, sitting down on a large rock.

"Alright then," said Cheren, sitting down next to her while Abner sat next to him, "what do you think Touya's up to, anyway?"

"If I know him," said Bianca, "he's probably working super hard! I wonder..."

\----

Touya had nearly completed the level training he had been doing, and he and Juliet were about to head to Victory Road...when suddenly a Herdier burst out of the rustling grass...a Herdier with a light grey coat that gave a bright sheen when it caught the light.

"HOLY CRAP!" said Touya, "Juliet, do you know what that is!?"

"A Herdier?"

"A _shiny_ Herdier! The odds of encountering a shiny Pokemon is one in eight thousand, one hundred and nintey two!"

"Fascinating," said Juliet, sarcastically, "are we going now?"

"Not yet," said Touya, pulling out Ruff's Pokeball, "I HAVE to catch this! Ruff, go! Fight it, but don't faint it or scare it off!"

Ruff growled and the shiny Herdier growled back. Ruff was given the order to use Crunch before biting at his opponent. The Herdier was weakened extremely significantly.

"Alright alright," said Touya excitedly as he fumbled for a Pokeball, before having an epiphany, "wait...should I use the Master Ball instead?"

"Uh...Touya?" said Juliet, tugging at her friend's coat. 

"I know, Juliet, Professor Juniper said I should use it against Reshiram..."

"No, Touya, you need to-"

"...but she also said I could use it on a shiny..."

"But Touya-"

"or was she just joking..."

Touya battled with himself over this for a few minutes (Juliet evidently trying to get his attention while he did so) but then finally decided.

"The Professor will understand..."

With that, Touya pulled out the Master Ball and held it up to throw it...and saw that the shiny Herdier had run off. Touya stared at the spot it used to be in with a look of horror on his face. Ruff looked up at him apologetically. Juliet just shrugged and said "I tried to tell you..."

Touya sighed and pocketed the Master Ball. Returning Ruff he smiled and said to Juliet, "C'mon, Juliet, let's go to Victory Road."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, the shiny Herdier thing actually happened in my game XD
> 
> I have good news and bad news: The good news is, the next chapter will be all about Team Plasma! The bad news? It will probably take a LOT longer to finish, due to all of the characters who will need personality and backstory in it @_@
> 
> Hopefully, however, I'll be able to pull it off! See ya then!


	39. Character Profiles - Team N Revealed

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So...the next chapter has proven to take longer than expected. Potentially a lot longer. Fortunately, I'm on Thanksgiving Break now, so I'll hopefully be able to finish it within the break. In the meantime, rather than leaving you guys hanging, I'm going to post the full, (nearly) uncensored character profile for Team N. Consider this a sneak preview for the next chapter, wherein a lot of these characters will be making an appearance.
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

**Name:** N██████ ███████ Harmonia  
 **Age:** 17  
 **Gender:** Male   
**Race:** Unknown  
 **Eye Color:** Green  
 **Hair Color:** Green  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Unknown  
 **Occupation:** Leader of Team Plasma  
 **Relationships:** Sage Ghetsis ████████ (██████), Sage Rood (mentor), Anthea (sister), Concordia (sister)  
 **Marital status:** Single  
 **Current Pokemon Team:** Zekrom, Kagami (Zoroark), Cinder (Archeops), Hermes (Carracosta), Boreas (Vanilluxe), Tick-Tock (Klinklang)  
 **Goal:** To liberate Pokemon

 **Name:** Zekrom  
 **Species:** Zekrom  
 **Growth Stage:** Zekrom  
 **Level:** 52  
 **Gender:** None; identified as male  
 **Nature:** Adamant  
 **Characteristic:** Likes to run  
 **Ability:** Teravolt  
 **Hidden Ability:** None  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Unknown  
 **Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend, partner), Kagami (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend), Reshiram (other half), Kyurem (????)  
 **Marital status:** N/A  
 **Current Moveset:** Zen Headbutt, Giga Impact, Light Screen, Fusion Bolt  
 **Goal:** To extend his ideals throughout Unova

 **Name:** Kagami  
 **Species:** Zoroark  
 **Growth Stage:** Zoroark  
 **Level:** 50  
 **Gender:** Male  
 **Nature:** Rash  
 **Characteristic:** Mischievous  
 **Ability:** Illusion  
 **Hidden Ability:** None  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Unknown  
 **Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend), Ghetsis (enemy)  
 **Marital status:** N/A  
 **Current Moveset:** Night Slash, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Retaliate  
 **Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Cinder  
 **Species:** Archeops  
 **Growth Stage:** Archeops  
 **Level:** 50  
 **Gender:** Male  
 **Nature:** Hasty  
 **Characteristic:** Strong willed  
 **Ability:** Defeatist  
 **Hidden Ability:** None  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Unknown  
 **Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Kagami (friend), Hermes (friend, rival), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend)  
 **Marital status:** N/A  
 **Current Moveset:** Dragon Claw, Acrobatics, Stone Edge, Crunch  
 **Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Hermes  
 **Species:** Carracosta  
 **Growth Stage:** Carracosta  
 **Level:** 50  
 **Gender:** Male  
 **Nature:** Bold  
 **Characteristic:** Good endurance  
 **Ability:** Sturdy  
 **Hidden Ability:** Swift Swim  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Unknown  
 **Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Kagami (friend), Cinder (friend, rival), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend)  
 **Marital status:** N/A  
 **Current Moveset:** Aqua Jet, Waterfall, Stone Edge, Crunch  
 **Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Boreas  
 **Species:** Vanilluxe  
 **Growth Stage:** Vanilluxe  
 **Level:** 50  
 **Gender:** Male  
 **Nature:** Jolly  
 **Characteristic:** Scatters things often  
 **Ability:** Ice Body  
 **Hidden Ability:** Weak Armor  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Unknown  
 **Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Kagami (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Tick-Tock (friend)  
 **Marital status:** N/A  
 **Current Moveset:** Frost Breath, Blizzard, Hail, Flash Cannon  
 **Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Tick-Tock  
 **Species:** Klinklang  
 **Growth Stage:** Klinklang  
 **Level:** 50  
 **Gender:** None  
 **Nature:** Calm  
 **Characteristic:** Alert to sounds  
 **Ability:** Plus  
 **Hidden Ability:** Clear Body  
 **Birthplace:** Unknown  
 **Hometown:** Unknown  
 **Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Boreas (friend)  
 **Marital status:** N/A  
 **Current Moveset:** Thunderbolt, Flash Cannon, Hyper Beam, Metal Sound  
 **Goal:** To protect N

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Next chapter will be all about Team Plasma, then we return to the action!


	40. A Day in the Life of Team Plasma

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> EDIT: My apologies for deleting this at first. There were formatting issues I needed to take care of.  
> EDIT2: And I forgot to add the title. Sorry about that ^_^;  
>  
> 
> PHEW! At long last, this next chapter is up! Fair warning, it's heavy with exposition and flashbacks, but I'm hoping I've made it entertaining!
> 
> So one big concern I've been having is the issue of Net Neutrality recently. LET ME ASSURE ALL OF YOU THAT IF NET NEUTRALITY GOES DOWN, THIS FIC WILL NOT GO DOWN WITH IT. I've been working too hard to give up now, and I'm getting closer and closer to the endgame. The story will keep going if it kills me. Even if I absolutely end up having to give up the internet, I'll still keep writing the story because I intend to see it through to the end.
> 
> Please support Net Neutrality in the meantime, and no not just for this fic. For all the things that will be harmed if it goes, like education, news, etc. It's starting to feel more hopeless, I know, but we can't give up just yet. Don't let those greedy corporations get their way.
> 
> Anyway, another thing I plan on doing...I'm thinking of skipping Victory Road and showing Touya, Bianca, Cheren and Juliet heading straight to the League. Victory Road will still have happened, but it'll take place mostly offscreen. Nothing interesting really happened there anyway, and there's nothing I can think of to make it interesting. What do you guys think? Would you rather I write out Victory Road or not?
> 
> Finals week is almost over so soon I should be able to write a lot more! Stick around please ^_^
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

The previous day...

\----

No sun shone into the bedroom of one N Harmonia. No windows could let the bright shining light of the sun, nor the calming light of the moon into the room he spent most of his life in. Due to this, N had all but forgotten what it felt like to wake to the morning sun or go to bed by the moon's light. Instead, he did both of those things when his "sisters", Anthea and Concordia told him to.

This morning, light illuminates N's room with two claps of Anthea's hands, activating the lights overhead. N stirs under his blankets, nude. Throughout his room are the Pokemon he has declared his "friends". A Zoroark with a scar over his left eye rests in a small dog bed on the side of N's bed. A Klinklang with multiple dents in its body is floating nearby, in low-power mode. A Carracosta has its limbs and head retracted into its slightly cracked shell, on top of which an Archeops is perched, its head tucked beneath its right wing. A small icebox is closed nearby, the sounds of a sleeping Vanilluxe audible from inside. The only one confined inside of a Pokeball is the dragon, Zekrom, who is only in there due to the fact that it cannot fit inside N's room.

The two sisters both looked at N, who sat up, rubbing his eye groggily and smiled.

"Good morning, Lord N." said Anthea and Concordia in unison. 

"Good morning, Anthea, Concordia." said N, smiling at his older "sisters".

"We have brought you your clothing for today."

"Thank you," said N, taking them with a smile. Anthea and Concordia both turned around to give N some privacy as he got dressed.

"So," N went on, pulling his shirt onto his slender, pale torso, "aside from preparing for the League, is there anything specific we are doing today?"

"No, Lord N," said Anthea, "Ghetsis wishes to speak to you about it, but otherwise there's not much more than that."

The Zoroark woke up and growled in response to Ghetsis' name.

"That's good," said N, having finished getting dressed, "I kind of wish to speak to him about something, myself. You two can look now." 

Anthea and Concordia turned to look at him and went on.

"Your breakfast is ready downstairs in the dining hall," said Concordia, "we will meet you there. At nine AM, you will give the grunts of Sector G an evaluation--their success rate has been diminishing lately, and Sage Giallo wants to know why. At ten AM, you will report to Sage Zinzolin for your first training sessions. As you know, your lessons with Sage Rood have been postponed due to our plans with the League. From eleven AM to one PM you will have your free time. At one PM, you will report to Zinzolin again for another training session."

N nodded, smiling as Anthea picked up from her sister's list.

"Ghetsis wants to speak to you at two PM. At three, dinner will be served in the dining hall, and you will be permitted free time until six PM."

"Same old, same old, it seems," said N, with a chuckle, "anything else you wish to say?"

"No, Lord N," said the sisters in unison, "we will speak to you again during breakfast."

"Alright then, take care you two."

Anthea and Concordia both bowed and left. N stretched and yawned before turning to his Pokemon.

"Okay everyone! It's time to wake up!" he called out, heading over to the Klinklang first, "Hello, Tick-Tock."

The Klinklang's gears all started to spin and whir slowly before it began floating upward, turning to N happily.

 _"Good morning, N, klink,"_ said Tick-Tock, _"how are you today, klang?"_

"I'm quite fine, thank you," said N, "you?"

_"I am the same as I always am, klink."_

"Of course you are," said N, chuckling, before turning to the Archeops and the Carracosta, "Cinder, Hermes, it's morning time! Time to get up!"

 _"Ugh,"_ said Hermes, the Carracosta, as he yawned and pulled his flippers out of his shell, _"N, will you please tell the birdbrain to stop sleeping on my back?"_

 _"HEY!"_ shouted Cinder, the Archeops, fluttering off of his partner's back, somewhat weakly due to his left wing being a bit gimpy, _"What's wrong with me sleeping where I want to sleep!?"_

 _"Gee, I dunno,"_ said Hermes, sarcastically, _"why did I find bird droppings on my shell the last time you did?"_

 _"I DID NOT DO THAT AND YOU KNOW IT!"_ squawked Cinder, furiously, _"YOU FRAMED ME!"_

N chuckled and turned to open the Vanilluxe's ice box only to find that it was already open. Sure enough, two Vanilluxes appeared in front of him.

 _"Hello, N!"_ they both said in unison, _"Can you guess which one of us is the real Boreas?"_

N smiled.

"Hmm...this is a tricky one," he said, "but I think it's...this one."

He pointed to the one on the right. Sure enough, the Vanilluxe on the left slowly faded away like smoke and a Zoroark appeared in his place.

 _"He wins again!"_ said the Vanilluxe, Boreas, with a cheery smile. The Zoroark groaned.

 _"How do you always know it's me, N?"_ asked the Zoroark.

"Oh come on, Kagami," said N, grinning as he patted the illusory fox on the head, "you think I wouldn't know my own brother?"

Kagami, the Zoroark, smiled.

_"I'LL DESTROY YOU, SHELL BOY!"_

_"BRING IT, FEATHER HEAD!"_

N turned to Cinder and Hermes who had started to attack each other. He shook his head and walked over to them.

"Boys!" he said, sternly, "Stop it this instant!"

 _"But HE started it!"_ shouted both fossil Pokemon in unison while pointing at each other.

"I don't care who started it," said N, "remember what we learned? We don't fight..."

 _"...unless we're helping Team Plasma's cause."_ said both Pokemon, begrudgingly.

"Very good. Now, let's go to the dining hall, everyone! It's breakfast time!"

\----

_The thirteen-year-old green haired boy chuckled as he, his two friends and their Pokemon jumped the fence._

_They saw the warning signs outside of it: "Stay Away", "Danger", "No visitors beyond this point", among other things._

_The boy and his friends simply laughed, collectively deciding that they weren't scared. Whatever was out there, they were going to see it, no matter how bad it was._

_What fools they were..._

\----

At the elaborate dining hall, N and his Pokemon were eating a hearty, lavish breakfast made by Anthea, Concordia and Sage Bronius. The table was fairly long and had chairs set for N (at the very end of the table), six of the seven sages, Anthea and Concordia, and Ghetsis, at the other end.

 _"So N,"_ asked Kagami, looking up from a bowl of berries, _"what do you want to talk about the old fart about?"_

N took a bite out of a freshly baked Ursaring claw before answering.

"Well, I...I kind of want to ask him about Touya joining our cause."

_"Didn't you already try that?"_

"Yes, but...this time I want to try it _after_ defeating him and Reshiram. Maybe then they'll see that our ideals are right. He's so extreme in his view of Pokemon training...maybe it'll take being defeated by the Dragon of Ideals to make him finally make him see reason."

 _"Hmm...well, I guess that's possible,"_ said Kagami, _"but how are you gonna convince the hothead to allow it?"_

"I know you never liked him, Kagami, but I know Ghetsis. He's a reasonable man. I'm sure if I just speak to him, he'll see it my way."

 _"Whatever you say, N,"_ responded Kagami, sighing. 

He didn't trust Ghetsis. He never really did. 

Of course, none of N's Pokemon trusted Ghetsis, but for the rest of them, this was mostly just because they didn't trust any human besides N. They had all been hurt by humans in too many ways. Hermes and Tick-Tock were both used for their extreme durability, sent out to eat hits every time, no matter how much it hurt them. Cinder was abandoned after his wing was broken as an Archen. Boreas was rescued from being farmed for ice cream cones. And Kagami? He was injured in a capture attempt...a capture attempt that N himself prevented as a child.

So it was expected that none of them trusted humans, with N being the only real exception...but Kagami held a special contempt for Ghetsis.

Ever since he met Ghetsis, he knew there was something...not right about him. There was something about him that seemed particularly cruel and malevolent. The way he smiled, the way he spoke...the things he put N through...how he locked him in that room when N angered him as a child...

Kagami didn't trust Ghetsis. But N did. And Kagami knew that his attempts to convince N would do nothing.

But that didn't stop him from trying to nudge him in the right direction...

\----

"You called for us, Master Ghetsis?"

Ghetsis glanced in the direction of the Shadow Triad, all kneeling behind him. Turning around, he glared at them and said, "What took you so long?"

The Shadow Triad simply bowed their heads and responded.

"We had some business to take care of with one of the grunts. It won't happen again master, we assure you."

"See to it that it doesn't. Now, tell me, is the Hero of Truth any closer to the League?"

"Yes," said 001, "he's staying with the Opelucid Gym Leaders today. They will be challenging him and his friend soon."

"Good," smirked Ghetsis, "and the Light Stone? Has Reshiram shown any sign of accepting the boy as its champion?"

"No sir," said 002, "He still doesn't know how to awaken it."

"HA!" said Ghetsis, grinning, "Well then, this should be easier than we thought."

"Do you think Alder or the Elite Four will be a threat, sir?"

"Don't make me laugh," said Ghetsis, "Alder and those Elite Fools will be taken out easily with Zekrom on our side. The goal I've been working toward will be complete before we know it! Has N been informed of the little talk I want to have with him?"

"Anthea and Concordia have told him."

"...I see." said Ghetsis, thinking about the problems that could arise from that--Anthea and Concordia were too soft on the boy, there was the chance that they may have ended up saying too much...

"Do you wish for us to...?"

"No, no...if they prove to be enough of a threat to our plans, then I'll deal with them myself..."

\----

"What took you so long?" asked Sage Giallo angrily as N entered the Grunts' Quarters.

"Sorry sir," said N, "my Pokemon got into a fight during breakfast and-"

"Oh never mind your excuses," groaned Giallo, "the grunts need their evaluation, as you probably know. Honestly, all of them are a bunch of useless dimwitted failures if you ask me, but the members of Sector G are the worst of the lot."

"They're humans, Sage Giallo, you can't fault them on their imperfections. Humans were never perfect. That's what Team Plasma seeks to fix."

"Whatever," said Giallo, "let's get this over with."

He entered the sleeping quarters and screamed "GET UP! GET UP YOU LAZY SLACKERS! GET UP!"

The grunts in each bed on each side all woke with a start and scrambled out of bed, standing and saluting in an orderly, single-file line.

"Good morning, Team Plasma Grunts of Sector G," said N, pleasantly, "it's time for evaluation."

"Anything for you, Lord N!" said Mara.

"NO SPEAKING OUT OF TERM!" shouted Giallo, prompting Mara to glare at him.

N sighed. As with each sector, there were twenty grunts in all, ten men, ten women. They were separated by gender and standing in two separate lines.

"I'll review the male ones, you review the females," said Giallo, "and don't be too soft on them."

"Fine," said N, smiling as he began to walk across the row of female grunts, looking over the first one. Their assigned areas in the room were alphabetized by last name. 

"I love it when N evaluates us," whispered Mara to Regina, smiling, "it gives me an excuse to talk to him!"

"Greeat," said Regina, sarcastically, "except you realize he's not interested in you, right?"

"That's only because we never get a chance to ACTUALLY talk! It's almost always when we're in evaluation or on missions! But when Lord N's goal is met and he's ruling Unova, I'll finally get to be alone with him! And maybe, I'll be able to show him how much I love him, and maybe...maybe he'll make me his queen!"

"I thought you were supposed to _stop_ dreaming when you wake up."

Mara glared at her as N got to them.

"Hello, Miss Eupho-"

"GOOD MORNING, LORD N!"

N gave an amused chuckle, much to Mara's delight.

"Enthusiastic as usual, Ms. Euphony," said N, smiling at her, "well, let's go through evaluation--how is your relationship with your Pokemon?"

"Well of course it's fine! Liepard always listens to me and she's strong!"

N looked at her, frowning this time--not a good sign.

"O-Of course, I also bond with her every now and then! In fact I've been trying to do that more often!"

N sighed and gave a smile. 

"Well, then, try to keep that up, Ms. Euphony. Remember, Pokemon have thoughts and feelings of their own. And you'll have to be as good to them as possible while you still have them--remember, you'll have to release Liepard when our goal is finally met."

"Yes sir!" said Mara, smiling as she saluted.

N smiled back at her.

\----

"That evaluation went better than expected," said Petr as the grunts were all sent to their respective assignments, "I thought it'd be much worse, seeing as we haven't been doin' the best lately."

"Preaching to the choir, Smirnov." said Regina.

"But I can't wait for our next mission! I wanna see what move Watchog will learn next!"

"That's a stupid reason to be excited," said Regina, "why are you so close to a Pokemon? You know they're just tools, right?"

"Yeah, but Watchog is different! The more time I spend with him, the more it seems like...he gets me. I dunno why, but he listens to me and he seems to understand me. He fights for me because he wants to, not because I'm forcing him. I dunno...he feels less like a tool and more like my friend!"

Holding his Watchog's Pokeball, he smiled.

"Yeah...he's my friend! I want to keep him by my side forever!"

"But...you can't, Petr," said Mara, "when Lord N wins and takes over Unova, he's gonna tell everyone to release their Pokemon, remember?"

"Well," said Petr, "I'm sure I can convince N to let me keep Watchog if I can just talk to him! If you can convince him to make you his queen, then I can convince him to let me keep my Pokemon! Besides, it's just one Pokemon I'm asking to keep! It's not gonna make a difference compared to everyone else releasing all of theirs!"

"Oh please," said a voice, "neither of you are going to convince N of anything."

The trio turned to see Hanover, sneering nastily at them.

"For you, Smirnov," he added, pointing to Petr, "he sees everything in black and white, so he'll just say you're either with him or against him--and wanting to keep your Pokemon makes you against him."

Petr glanced down at Watchog's Pokeball with concern as Hanover turned to Mara. 

"As for you, Euphony," he went on, "the twerpy king's got the brain of a ten-year-old and he's clearly obsessed with the white dragon's brat. He barely even knows you exist. You're both dreamers who need to wake up."

"That's not true!" shouted Mara as Regina and Petr held her back from starting something she couldn't finish.

"Whatever," said Hanover, smirking as he turned to leave, "I'm off to my assignment. See you losers later."

"He's wrong about N," said Mara, angrily, "I'm going to talk to him as soon as I can and prove it!"

"I dunno, Mara," said Petr, "that seems kind of risky..."

"Not for me! N loves me, I know it! And I'll prove it to that creep Hanover!"

Mara headed off. Petr was about to follow her but Regina pulled him away.

"Let her go, Petr," said Regina, "if she has to find out the hard way, then by all means, she ought to go out there and learn that her king doesn't give a Raticate's tail about her."

Petr looked at her and sighed as he watched his partner leave, knowing she was about to get her heart broken.

\----

_The green-haired boy followed his friends into the enormous cave. They had heard the rumors of what waited for them inside. They wanted to see if the rumors were true._

_Laughing to himself, the green-haired boy ran deeper into the cave, joining in the dramatic retellings of the legend, the legend of the bizarre, terrifying monster that was said to live in the cave. He had heard that it came to Earth from space, in some kind of giant, icy comet. They all wondered whether the legend was true. Whether the creature was exactly as they claimed, or if it was completely different._

_A low rumbling in the cave soon gave them the answer..._

\----

N entered Zinzolin's laboratory and greeted Zinzolin, Rood and Zinzolin's young assistant.

"Hello, boy," said Zinzolin as N arrived, "ready to train for your battle with the Hero of Truth?"

"Does an isosceles triangle have two congruent sides?"

Zinzolin stared blankly at N, prompting a chuckle from Rood and Colress to offhandly tell Zinzolin "That means yes, sir."

"Well good, then," said Zinzolin, "Colress, start the simulation and be quick about it!"

Colress wordlessly pulled a lever, triggering a computer simulation. A projection of Reshiram appeared.

"Zekrom, get out there!" called out N, letting out the black dragon with a smile.

Zekrom burst out of the Pokeball and glared at the projection of Reshiram. He did a double-take for a moment, before chuckling to himself.

 **"I must hand it to you humans,"** he said, **"you can do miraculous things with technology..."**

"Use Zen Headbutt, Zekrom!"

Zekrom focused all his willpower to his head, then charged at the Reshiram simulation, hitting it hard.

"Yes!"

**"Head's up, N! She's about to use Fusion Flare..."**

Sure enough, the Reshiram simulation spread out its wings and fired a huge blast of fire at Zekrom, who was pushed backward, his arms crossed to shield himself from the blast.

"You okay, Zekrom?"

 **"Yeah, kid,"** said Zekrom, grinning, **"don't worry about it...that move will only make ME stronger..."**

Zekrom held up his arms and produced a massive ball of electricity between his clawed hands before throwing it at his opponent. Reshiram let out a roar before dissipating. N smiled and petted Zekrom's leg with a smile.

"Alright kid," said Zinzolin, still not smiling, "next opponent."

A Serperior simulation appeared next and N returned Zekrom to his Pokeball and sent out Kagami.

"Alright Kagami, you know what to do!"

 _"Indeed I do..."_ said Kagami, grinning before sending out a Flamethrower at the grass snake which let out an angry hiss before dissipating. A Watchog was sent out in its place.

 _"You've gotta be kiddin'!"_ laughed Kagami, before hitting the Normal-type with a Focus Blast.

"Fantastic, Kagami!" called out N, "Now let's see the next opponent!"

Meanwhile, watching from the sidelines were Zinzolin, Rood and Colress, who both observed as N took down each simulation of Touya's Pokemon.

"He's doing quite well, isn't he?" asked Colress.

"Feh," said Zinzolin, "he won't stand a chance against the real test that's up against him."

"Huh?" asked Colress before he remembered, "Oh...that..."

"Zinzolin," said Rood, "do you really think that's going to be necessary?"

"Whether _I_ think that's necessary has nothing to do with it. It's what Ghetsis thinks. And Ghetsis thinks that it's what's best for Team Plasma...and himself."

"But if that happens, N will be..."

"Yes, he will. Don't tell me you're getting emotional about that, are you, Rood?"

"No," Rood lied, "I just...it feels wrong, using him all these years and then having his whole life lead up to nothing..."

"Well, too bad. It's Ghetsis' call, not ours. He calls the shots. We have to listen to him."

Rood sighed and looked out.

"N defeated the last opponent." he said.

"Well then what are you waiting for, Colress?" barked Zinzolin, smacking his assistant in the back, "Shut off the simulation!"

"I hate my job," mumbled Colress as he ended the simulation, allowing N to exit it.

"How did I do, Zinzolin sir?" asked N as he and his Pokemon exited the simulation.

"Adequate," said Zinzolin absently as he looked over the notes Colress had typed out for him, "report back in an hour for your second training session. For now, you can have a short break."

"Finally," said N with a chuckle, "come on, friends, let's get something to eat."

N's team unanimously responded with happy cries. Rood sighed and decided to follow them as they went.

\----

 _The boy and his friends looked up in horror at the sight of a creature moving toward them. It was a huge dragon, nearly ten feet in length. It had a long neck tipped with a huge head that had wide jaws. Its grey scaled body had a pair of ice-cased wings stretched out on its back. Its eyes were yellow, soulless and dead looking._

_And it looked angry. Its wide mouth scowled to reveal a set of viciously sharp looking teeth and it glared down at all of the boys in front of it._

_The boys began to run, the green-haired boy falling behind. They ran through the cave, desperate to escape the monster as it roared furiously behind them. They didn't know what this thing was, and they certainly did not want to know what it was capable of._

\----

N took a lunch break with Rood. The two were discussing things over tea. Kagami had finished his meal and was gnawing on a toy bone. Boreas was munching on ice cubes and chuckling to himself as he watched Hermes and Cinder fighting over berries. Zekrom and Tick-Tock, who didn't need to eat, were both close to N. Zekrom was lying on the floor next to him, relaxing, while Tick-Tock just floated around.

 _"Hey Hermes,"_ scowled Cinder, _"that's MY pecha berry!"_

 _"I don't see your name on it!"_ smirked Hermes.

_"N PUT IT IN MY BOWL YOU JURASSIC JERK!"_

"Boys, stop fighting now!" said N, angrily before turning back to his tea, "Honestly I can't take you two anywhere, can I?"

Rood chuckled.

"They argue quite a bit, don't they?" he asked.

"Like you wouldn't believe," said N, "if you could understand anything they say like I do, you'd need migraine medicine."

 _"HEY!"_ said both fossil Pokemon angrily.

"So N," asked Rood, "are you looking forward to challenging the Elite Four and Alder?"

"Of course I am," said N, smiling confidently, "it's for the good of Team Plasma, after all!"

"Hmm," said Rood, thoughtfully.

"What?" asked N.

"It's nothing, N," said Rood, "it's just that...do you think this is best for _you?_ "

"I don't care if it's best for me," said N, setting down his cup with a smile, "all I want is to help Pokemon everywhere. If it means I have to champion something as barbaric as the Pokemon League, I'll do it. And besides," he added, scratching Kagami behind the ears, "if...no, _when_ I succeed, I'll abolish the League anyway. No Pokemon will ever have to suffer through it again! There's no greater reward for me than my friends to be safe and happy and never have to deal with harm ever again."

Rood looked at N and then sighed with a smile.

"What?" asked N, chuckling awkwardly.

"Nothing," said Rood, "I was just thinking of what a good hearted young man you are." 

N smiled softly in response.

"Lord N," said Colress, entering the room, "your next training session is ready."

N sighed and placed his cup back down.

"Duty calls," he said, "come along, friends."

As N walked off, Rood heaved a heavy, saddened sigh.

"You deserve better than all this, N..."

\----

 _"GUYS!" shouted the green-haired boy, "Please, wait for me!"_

_But then, the boy tripped on a rock, falling forward and hitting the ground hard. He started to sit up and could feel an intense pain in his leg...he had hurt his ankle after tripping on the rock. He could hear the monster approaching. His heart was beating fast, but he couldn't move._

_"GUYS! I'M HURT!" the green-haired called out, desperately, "HELP ME! PLEASE HELP ME!"_

_But Ghetsis Harmonia's friends had already run ahead of him. They couldn't hear him, and he couldn't see them._

_He felt tears well up in his eyes as he suddenly heard a growling noise...the monster had caught up to him._

_Ghetsis turned around, looking up at the beast's soulless yellow eyes, realizing that they were likely the last thing he'd ever see._

_The beast opened its mouth and fired an attack at him...instinctively, Ghetsis raised up his right arm to shield his face from the attack..._

"Master Ghetsis?"

Ghetsis awoke with a start. 003 was standing next to him.

"N just finished his training session. He's coming to speak to you."

Ghetsis staggered to his feet and said, "Bring him in."

\----

Mara Euphony headed to Ghetsis' quarters, having heard that N was going to be there. She was going to talk to him, she was going to prove to Hanover that N truly cares for her, like he cares for everyone. She couldn't help but reminisce about the first day she met him...

_A year ago, Mara Euphony had been walking home from the Pokemon Center in her hometown of Nimbasa City, when she heard a voice._

_"Friends," said the voice, that of an older gentleman, "we often work with these creatures called Pokemon and call them our partners...but is this really true?"_

_Mara didn't know what to think of the man's speech. She herself didn't care much for Pokemon, and the man giving the speech looked absolutely ridiculous, wearing a gaudy robe with a collar shaped like...a castle? Is he freaking serious?_

_The outfits of the two men flanking him weren't much better, wearing white robes with hoods, looking like weird religious fanatics or something. Great, they were probably street preachers, there to 'spread the good news about their lord and savior Keldeo' or something. Mara wanted to make herself scarce as she headed home, hoping that this man wouldn't notice her._

_As she went on, Mara bumped into a tall man in the middle of the road._

_"AH!" she shouted, "Watch where you're going you-"_

_"Oh, I apologize," said the man's voice, "I didn't mean to bump into you..."_

_Mara looked up to see a truly beautiful man standing before her...his skin was smooth, pale and truly flawless. His long, faded green hair swayed in the breeze, like the leaves of a willow tree, and his shirt billowed along with it. He was dressed mostly in white, which, when coupled with his fair skin, long hair and dazzling smile, made him look almost like an angel. He gave a grin, his shining white teeth gleaming in the sunlight...Mara stared in awe at him as he looked at her with his large, beautiful green eyes..._

_"Excuse me, miss?"_

_Mara shook her head and looked at him again, smiling._

_"No no," she said, "I'm fine! No need for you to apologize!"_

_"Here, let me help you up," said the man, holding out a hand for her...her heart was beating so much faster..._

_"Thank you!" she said, her face flushing red, "Wh-what's your name?"_

_"N Harmonia," said the man, "yours?"_

_"M-Mara Euphony!" she replied--"Euphony"? "Harmony"? Those were similar words, weren't they? Could it be fate?_

_N told Mara about Team Plasma and its cause. Mara didn't quite really care much about their goal...but she was certain...she was in love with N...and if he was there, she wanted to be there..._

Mara smiled at the memory before she turned to the door to Ghetsis' quarters...but before she could knock, she began hearing N and Ghetsis' voices...

\----

"N," said Ghetsis, seated at his desk, petting his Pokemon, "your time as ruler of Unova draws nearer. You will soon be taking on Champion Alder and the Elite Four. You know what you must do, don't you?"

"Defeat Champion Alder," said N, standing up straight and keeping himself calm, "then the Hero of Truth. Take over Unova and abolish Pokemon training."

"Good," said Ghetsis, "now your training is nearly complete. When you take down Reshiram and its trainer, Unova will bow before Team Plasma! And soon the whole world will follow!"

"Um...Ghetsis," said N, "may I ask something?"

"What is it this time, boy?" said Ghetsis, angrily; his Pokemon gave a growl, which startled N a bit.

"Um...it's about the Hero of Truth..."

"Ugh, this again..." groaned Ghetsis, rolling his one good eye.

"Do I honestly have to just _defeat_ the Hero of Truth?"

Ghetsis turned to look at N skeptically. That was certainly not the response he was expecting.

"What do you mean?" asked Ghetsis, "What else _could_ you do to deal with him?"

"Well...what if we could convince him to join us?"

"You tried that, remember?"

"Yes, but...if I defeat him, maybe in the process I could...show him the error of his ways. Maybe upon being defeated, he'll see that my ideals are right. He could be a valuable ally to us if I succeed."

Ghetsis glared at N, before making a scoff of incredulity.

"Please, N," said Ghetsis, "you honestly think the boy would ever agree to that? You think he'll agree to join a team that he believes killed one of his Pokemon?"

"I just think maybe I could change hi-"

"People like him don't change, N! They never have and they never will. You know that. Reshiram's hero will never agree to joining us. The system is too ingrained in his mind and heart. That's a simple fact. Now let's please address the topic at hand."

N sighed. But then, he had a thought...

"With all due respect, Ghetsis...no."

"What did you say?" asked Ghetsis, glaring at N and looking angered.

"Touya seems like a good man...he does care about Pokemon, I know it!"

"N, you're trying my patience..."

"If I defeat him he'll see that we're right! If you'd just let me talk to him after the battle-"

"N..."

"-then maybe I can convince him to join us! And who knows? Maybe he could rule by my si-"

N was promptly interrupted by a sharp slap to his face from Ghetsis. Then, he simply stood there in shock.

"N, ENOUGH of this stupid nonsense!" shouted Ghetsis, "There is no way you will convince the Hero of Truth to join our side. Even if you think it will work, I will not allow it. He is the enemy, N! The only way for you to deal with him is to defeat him and take him down. Do I make myself clear?"

N stood there, looking at Ghetsis...then, he said "Y-Yes...sir..."

"And I suggest you not defy me again, boy," said Ghetsis, in a much softer voice this time, "you're not too old to go into the Punishment Room again, you know..."

N froze at this statement and glanced in the direction of Ghetsis' Pokemon, who perked up in response. He remembered the Punishment Room vividly...having to be trapped in a room with that...monster...the one Pokemon N knew he could never befriend. It would keep a close eye on him while it tore into whatever carcass Ghetsis threw into the room with them. N could hear the horrible beast whispering as it did so...

_"Kill...kill...kill...kill...kill..."_

N never wanted to enter the Punishment Room again.

"I...I know, sir. I'm sorry. It won't happen again."

"See that it doesn't," said Ghetsis, grinning, "now go. It's dinner time anyway. I want you to get a good night's sleep for tomorrow, when you face the Elite Four. Okay?"

"Yes, sir."

"Team Plasma will prevail, you'll make sure of that, right N?"

"Yes, sir."

"Good. You are dismissed."

N turned to leave, trying his best to ignore Ghetsis' growling Pokemon as he did so.

And when he opened the door, Mara was standing there.

"Ah, Lord N!" she said.

"How much did you hear?" asked N, coldly.

"I...I..."

"Never mind," said N, shoving her aside, "if you tell anyone about what transpired in there, you can consider your status as grunt revoked...permanently."

With that, N left, leaving Mara staring in horror as he went.

 _"N..._ she thought, _"what is he doing to you?"_

\----

_N Harmonia stared at the gruesome scene before him._

_Kagami lay on the ground, little more than a soulless husk thanks to a Cofagrigus._

_Boreas melted into a tiny puddle of water._

_Tick-Tock singed beyond repair, whirring erratically._

_Cinder's lifeless body clamped in the jaws of an Eelektross._

_Hermes' shell torn open while an angry Bouffalant stamps on him repeatedly._

_And Zekrom, a huge gaping wound in his stomach, collapsed on the ground, dead._

_N watched the culprit, the trainer who killed them, as he stood over him with an evil sneer._

_"Why?" he asked, tears streaming down his face as he collapsed to the ground, "Why would you do this to me? I thought I was important to you! I did all of this for you! I've been nothing but loyal! Why?"_

_His attacker said nothing. He just grinned._

_Then, he spoke._

_"Goodbye..."_

_A Hydreigon floated over N, who trembled, unable to say anything but a tiny, pitiful "No..."_

_The evil trainer spoke again..._

_"Dinnertime, Hydreigon..."_

_All three heads lunged forward, mouths open wide..._

 

"SWAAAAAAAAAAAAHHHHHHHHHH!!!!"

"Swoobat!?" asked Anthea, looking at her Pokemon as she woke from an evidently very troubled sleep, "What's wrong!? What happened!?"

The Swoobat didn't respond. She simply unfolded her wings and flew off from her perch, flying in the direction of N's room as Anthea and Concordia both followed. When the three made it to N's room, they opened the door just a crack to see that N was sleeping soundly. The Swoobat sighed with relief. Anthea and Concordia quickly realized what this meant...

She had a vision about N...something bad was about to happen...

\----

The next day...

N Harmonia looked up at the Pokemon League, Pokeball in hand.

"For Pokemon everywhere...Team Plasma will prevail..."

To be continued...


	41. The Pokemon League

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! I'm back! And once again, I'm getting closer and closer to the endgame, so I kinda merged Victory Road with the Pokemon League!
> 
> And I remembered too late that the Badge Check Gates were BEFORE Victory Road...sorry about that, but by this point it was too late to edit that. I didn't think it would be THAT big a deal anyway.
> 
> Enjoy this chapter!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

Exiting Route 10, Touya observed his Pokemon, all leveled up to fifty-one...except Sir Hiss, leveled up to fifty-five. Touya didn't plan for that. It seemed Sir Hiss was just always overleveled among them. But Touya smiled. They've come so far and now they had the League to face.

The team had new moves at their disposal. Some came from leveling up, others came from TMs and HMs he either obtained or purchased at Route 9's mall. Having Sea Monkey hold an Amulet Coin as he battled trainers helped, allowing him to buy "TM15 - Hyper Beam" for Prima. 

But just in case, Touya decided to give all of them a boost. Having already given Screech the Dragon Fang, he decided to give the others move-enhancing items--Sir Hiss got the Grass-boosting Miracle Seed, Prima the Normal-boosting Silk Scarf, Ruff the Dark-boosting Black Glasses, Sea Monkey the Water-boosting Mystic Water and Breezy the Flying-boosting Sharp Beak.

"They're lookin' good, Touya!" said Juliet with a smile, "Can't wait to see you take on the league!"

Touya chuckled.

"I just hope it'll be enough," he said, returning his Pokemon (except Sir Hiss) to their Pokeballs, "c'mon, let's get going to Victory Road."

"Is Victory Road tough?"

"Not that much. It's a long and winding road that's full of trainers who all want to make it to the League. It's supposed to provide extra last-minute training for potential challengers to the League. I think if we can avoid having to do too many battles while traveling through it, we'll be fine. Let's go."

"Alright!" said Juliet.

The three headed off together, en route to Victory Road.

\----

Entering the first floor of Victory Road, Touya, Juliet and Sir Hiss stepped into the large cavern.

"Just a warning Juliet," said Touya, "there are a lot of Durants around here. They're small, but they're vicious and hard to fight--plus they tend to attack in swarms..."

"You mean like this one?" asked Juliet.

Touya and Sir Hiss turned to see a metallic ant crawling out of the wall, clanging its fearsome metal pincers together as it leaped onto the ground.

"Stand back, Juliet," said Touya, "Sir Hiss and I can deal with this bug!"

"'Kay."

"Sir Hiss," said Touya, "use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss sent a swirling wind of leaves at his opponent, the steel-plated insect affected very little after being hit. The Durant glared angrily at Sir Hiss with large red eyes, before digging a tunnel and burying itself.

Touya paused and said, "It's using Dig."

Dig was a two-turn move and Touya was planning to get to Victory Road as soon as possible...

"Bail?" asked Juliet.

"Bail. C'mon, Sir Hiss."

The three promptly left, leaving the oblivious Durant underground, waiting to attack a target that was no longer there.

\----

"Carmen Electra!" called out the Ace Trainer named Shanta to her Zebstrika, "Use Stomp!"

"Sir Hiss," said Touya, "dodge and use Giga Drain!"

The Zebstrika ran at Sir Hiss, reared up and tried to stomp Sir Hiss, but Sir Hiss slipped away from the proximity of her hooves, before draining her of her remaining health, restoring his own and knocking her out. Shanta returned her Pokemon with a smile.

"You're pretty good, kid!" she said, "I bet you'll do great against the League!"

"Thanks," said Touya, "so, how are me and my friends supposed to get to that staircase over there?"

Touya pointed to a staircase that was being blocked by a huge pit and a huge boulder.

"You have a Pokemon that knows Strength?" asked Shanta, smiling.

"Oh, right! Ruff, come out!"

Ruff emerged and, on Touya's command, began pushing the boulder with incredible ease, before dropping it into the pit. Touya petted Ruff with a smile and handed him a berry.

"Good boy, Ruff! Here's a treat!"

Ruff ate the berry with a happy smile as the group continued on to the next floor.

\----

"Screech, use Ancient Power!"

Screech sent a trio of fossilized rocks at the Leavanny acting as his opponent, knocking him out. Dr. Logan watched his Leavanny fall before chuckling and returning him to his Pokeball.

"Good game, kid," he said, "I'll heal your Pokemon for you if you want."

"Thank you, sir!" said Touya, smiling back at him as he handed Screech and Ruff to him for healing.

"We better get going after this," said Juliet, "we still need to get to the League!"

"I know, Juliet," said Touya, patting her head, "we'll get there, soon..."

\----

A bright light shone as Touya, Juliet and Sir Hiss exited Victory Road at long last.

"Finally!" said Juliet.

"Alright," said Touya, "next stop, the Badge Check Gates, then the League!"

The three continued on to the openings of the Badge check gates, ready to meet Cheren and Bianca there.

"Do you think they already got into the league?" asked Juliet.

"Possibly, but I'd think they'll probably be waiting for us outside the gates."

Sure enough, they did find Cheren and Bianca sitting on a rock outside of the gates...and Cheren was moving very closely to Bianca...and Bianca was giggling...

"Uhh," said Touya, awkwardly, "hey, are we interrupting something?"

"AH!" both of Touya's friends yelped in response, their faces bright red.

Touya just chuckled while Bianca and Cheren stood up to greet him.

"Welcome, back, Touya, Juliet!" said Bianca, taking Touya's hand and shaking it. 

"Let's get going," said Cheren, his face still flushing, "I wanna challenge the League as soon as possible!"

Touya chuckled, sharing a knowing glance with Juliet before the four left.

\----

The guard at the first gate looked at them.

"Halt!" he said, "Unauthorized personnel not welcome!"

"We have our badges!" said Bianca, holding out her hat. Touya held up his badge case and Cheren opened his coat.

"Alright," said the guard, "but what about her?"

He pointed to Juliet.

"She's with me!" said Touya.

The guard glared, but then nodded.

"Alright, go on. Show your badges to each gate."

\----

At last, the group made it to the League. The League's building had four chambers leading to each member of the Elite Four, Shauntal, Grimsley, Caitlin and Marshal. In the center was a huge statue which led down to the Champion's room. Off to the side was a Pokemon Center and Pokemart to heal up and stock up on helpful items. 

"Wow," said Touya, awestruck, "it's all a lot bigger than when we see it on TV..."

"I know, isn't it great?" asked Cheren, excitedly.

"I won't lie," said Touya, "I'm a little nervous."

"You don't have to worry at all, Touya," said Bianca, patting his shoulder, "you'll great out there!"

Touya smiled.

"Let's go, Touya!" said Juliet, "I wanna see you beat the League!"

Touya just chuckled in response.

Bianca and Cheren both headed off to Marshal and Grimsley respectively. Touya took a deep breath and decided to start with Shauntal.

\----

Ghost-type specialist Shauntal's chamber was a huge library. Books upon shelves upon walls, everywhere around them. Touya and Juliet entered and were about to walk up the stairs just before a strange energy appeared and surrounded them both, lifting them into the air and onto a large platform, where Shauntal was sitting at a desk, writing something on a piece of paper. 

As well as being a member of the Elite Four, Shauntal was a novelist, specializing in writing fantasy, horror and romance novels. Touya's mother had owned many of her books. Shauntal was a petite young woman who dressed in black, wearing a scarf shaped like the face of a black cat, and had short hair in a bob style. She was talking to herself as she wrote.

"'Eyes brimming with dark flame, this man rejected everything other than himself in order to bring about one singular justice,'" she said before noticing Touya and Juliet behind her, "Oh, hello!"

"Hi," said Touya, "so...what was that all about?"

"Oh, that was part of a novel I'm writing. I was inspired by the challenger who was just here, and somehow I got a little sad..."

Touya thought about that...certain aspects of her description...it sounded familiar...could it be...

"Excuse me. You're a challenger, right?"

"Oh!" said Touya, snapping out of his thoughts, "Yes, I am."

"And I'm his friend, Juliet!" said Juliet, "My mom loves your books!"

Shauntal gave a chuckle.

"I'm the Elite Four's Ghost-type Pokémon user, Shauntal, and I shall be your opponent."

"Alright," said Touya, nodding as Juliet walked over to a nearby stool and sat on it, "let's get to this!"

Shauntal pulled a Pokeball out and threw it.

"Get out there, Bellatrix!"

A Cofagrigus burst out of the ball, snickering evilly at Touya as all four of her shadowy hands stretched out of her sarcophagus body.

"Go, Ruff!"

Touya sent Ruff out, the Black Glasses on his face gleaming brightly. He had the plan to use the powered up Crunch on most of Shauntal's Ghost-types.

"Ruff," said Touya, "use Crunch!"

Ruff ran at the Cofagrigus and bit down hard onto her golden body, causing her to screech loudly. But this attack came at a price...Ruff was affected by the Cofagrigus' "Mummy" ability. His eyes began to glow red and a distorted growl began to escape his lips.

"Fight through it, Ruff," said Touya, "you'll be cured once you're switched out!"

Shauntal smiled.

"Beginnings are important," she said, petting her Cofagrigus, "whether in a good novel or a good battle! Bellatrix, use Psychic!"

The Cofagrigus sent an attack of telepathy at Ruff, who let out another growl in response as the damage hit him.

"Ruff, use another Crunch!"

Ruff growled again and bit down hard on the Cofagrigus. The Cofagrigus began twitching and screaming before being sent back to her Pokeball.

"You're good, kid!" said Shauntal, smiling, "But I'm just getting started! Go, Katniss!"

A Golurk appeared next, the rocky behemoth dropping from the Pokeball with a mighty crash. Touya looked at Ruff, who had expressed a nervous expression. Touya smiled and returned him before switching him out for Breezy. If the Golurk had any Ground-type moves, Breezy wouldn't be affected, so there's that.

"Alright Breezy," said Touya, "use Fly!"

Breezy spread out his wings and soared upward over the arena. The Golurk couldn't hit him, and so it watched as he flew over head before swooping down and slamming hard into the Golurk.

"Katniss," said Shauntal, "use Brick Break!"

The Golurk moved swiftly despite its heavy body and used a chopping move with its hands to hit Breezy, knocking him down and causing feathers to fly, Breezy squawking in response. Touya was initially worried until Breezy looked up in alarm. Shauntal took advantage of the surprise to use a Full Restore on her Golurk.

"Katniss, use Shadow Punch!"

"Breezy, dodge and then use Aerial Ace!"

Breezy spread out his wings and flew upward, dodging as the Golurk swung its fist forward. Breezy then swooped down and swiped at the Golurk with his wings, knocking it down with a mighty crash while Breezy struck a dramatic victory pose.

A Chandelure was sent out next and Touya sent out Sea Monkey.

"Sea Monkey, use Surf!"

Sea Monkey leaped up and sent a jet of water out of her tail. The water pooled and formed a massive wave, hitting the fiery ghost, inflicting damage.

"Minerva," said Shauntal, "use Shadow Ball!"

The angered ghost floated up and fired a shadowy blast of energy at Sea Monkey, hitting her hard.

"Don't be discouraged, Sea Monkey!" said Touya, "Use Surf again!"

Sea Monkey smiled and twirled in place before shooting more water at her opponent, this time knocking it out.

"Alright then," said said Shauntal, "I can see you're a worthy opponent. I feel we're about to reach the epilogue of this story...go, Effie!"

A female Jellicent was sent out next, her bright pink tentacles waving. Touya returned Sea Monkey and sent out Sir Hiss, who gave a snicker at the sight of his opponent.

"Sir Hiss," said Touya, "use Leaf Blade!"

Sir Hiss' tail sharpened and he slithered toward the enormous jellyfish and sliced at her with it. A smirk appeared on his face as the Jellicent dropped to the ground, unconscious.

Shauntal smiled as she returned her last Pokemon.

"Wow. I'm dumbstruck!" she said, smiling at Touya happily, "I know a lot of words, but right now I can't figure out how to say this. Perhaps, if the feeling I'm having now is put into words, it will be trapped there. So let me say this...my feeling is you're a great Trainer!"

"Thank you, ma'am." said Touya, smiling and blushing at the compliment.

"So...how do we get out of here?" asked Juliet, "Because I'm NOT floating down with those ghosts again!"

"Just use this device here," said Shauntal, pointing to a small device on the floor. It'll transport you back to the main part of the League."

"Thanks Shauntal," said Touya, "c'mon, Juliet..."

\----

Touya chose to go to Grimsley, the Dark-type specialist, next, taking an odd spiral escalator to the top of his platform. Grimsley was sitting upon a large velvet red chair. He was dressed in a black suit and had black hair in a flock-of-Wingulls style. He grinned at Touya. 

Touya knew a fair amount about Grimsley. He was a gambler who lived with the Gym Leader Burgh as his roommate. Though many speculated they were lovers, Grimsley had gone on record confirming that they weren't, rather they were close friends. Grimsley apparently posed as a model for Burgh's art frequently though, as seen in Burgh's gallery.

"Man oh man," said Grimsley, standing up and sneering, "what is going on today? Challengers coming one right after another. Well, no matter. I am Grimsley of the Elite Four, and I will fulfill my duty to be your opponent."

"Alright then," said Touya, "go Breezy!"

"Get on out there, Jacuzzi!" said Grimsley, sending out a Scrafty.

"Breezy, heal up with Roost!"

Breezy nestled himself down, fluffing up his feathers as he restored his health.

"You do that," said Grimsley with a grin, "in the meantime...use Sand Attack!"

The Scrafty swiped forward with its tail, throwing dust in Breezy's eyes.

"Breezy, use Fly!"

Breezy flew upward and then swooped down, hitting the lizard hard and knocking him out.

"Alright then," said Grimsley, "get out there Kanra!"

A Krookodile burst out next, her jaws gnashing.

"Breezy, stay in and use Fly!"

Breezy flew up into the air and hit the Krookodile. It dealt damage, but she took little of it.

"Kanra, use Payback!"

The Krookodile slammed forward with its front claws, hitting Breezy hard.

"Breezy, Aerial Ace now!" 

Breezy swooped forward at high speed and slashed at the Krookodile with his wings. 

"Full Restore!" said Grimsley, healing his Krookodile. Touya did the same with Breezy.

"Now Kanra," said Grimsley, "use Payback again!"

"Dodge it Breezy!"

The Krookodile swiped at Breezy with her tail this time, which Breezy escaped by flying up. The Krookodile looked around for her opponent before Breezy descended unnoticed behind her.

"KANRA, LOOK OUT!"

It was too late. Breezy hit her with an Aerial Ace, knocking her out.

"Well played!" said Grimsley, smiling sincerely as he returned his Krookodile, "Now let's go, Nice!"

A Liepard emerged next, prompting Touya to return Breezy and send out Sir Hiss.

"Sir Hiss, use-"

But before he could say anything, the Liepard swiped at him. Sir Hiss flinched and Touya expressed worry that she had dealt damage on Sir Hiss...but he noticed that there was no damage dealt at all...Touya realized...

"She used Fake-Out!" he said, "Alright, Sir Hiss, use Leaf Tornado!"

Sir Hiss sent a swirling wind of leaves, slicing into the large cat, which let out a screech before collapsing. Grimsley smiled and returned his Pokemon.

"You're good kid," he said, "you're almost as cunning as a Dark-type!"

"Thanks, I think..."

"Well then, here's my last Pokemon...come on out, Chane!"

A Bisharp emerged next, her metallic armor and sharp blades flashing. Touya sent out Breezy.

"Breezy, use Aerial Ace!"

Breezy swiped at the Bisharp, who was undeterred.

"Chane, use Night Slash!"

The Bisharp slashed at Breezy, landing a critical hit. Touya bit his lip, before returning Breezy and sending out Sir Hiss.

"Sir Hiss, use Giga Drain!"

Sir Hiss absorbed energy from the Bisharp. She was still standing.

"Chane, use X-Scissor!"

Moving both her arms in an X motion, the Bisharp sliced at Sir Hiss, causing him to collapse.

"Sir Hiss!" said Juliet, looking shocked.

"Sir Hiss, return! Go Sea Monkey!"

Sea Monkey emerged, smiling.

"Use Surf!"

Sea Monkey leaped upward and gripped her tail like a water gun, spraying her opponent with a heavy amount of water, knocking her down and injuring her.

"Chane, use-"

"SEA MONKEY! Use Water Gun!"

Sea Monkey sprayed more water at the metallic humanoid, causing her to move stiffly and slowly.

"Chane, return!" said Grimsley. He let out a sigh before smiling, "Good game, kid. A real warrior doesn't dash off in pursuit of the next victory, nor throw a fit when experiencing a loss. And you are a real warrior in my book."

"Thank you sir," said Touya, "I'll be headed to Marshal next..."

"That Unfezant of yours should do well against him..."

Touya nodded and he and Juliet headed back to the League.

\----

After healing his Pokemon a little, Touya arrived at the Fighting-type specialist Marshal's chamber.

Marshal's chamber looked like a kickboxing arena, and Marshal himself stood at the center. He was a tall, muscular man, wearing a sleevless blue shirt, long orange pants and going barefoot. Arms crossed, Marshal glared at Touya and Juliet, determination on his face.

"Greetings, challenger," he said, standing tall, "my name is Marshal. In order to master the art of fighting, I'm training under my mentor, Alder."

"Cool." said Touya.

"My mentor sees your potential as a Trainer and is taking an interest in you. It is my intention to test you--to take you to the limits of your strength. KIAI!"

Marshal posed dramatically and the battle begun.

"Go, Throh!"

Marshal had sent out a short red humanoid Pokemon with stony-looking skin. 

"Get out there Breezy! Give it an Aerial Ace!"

Breezy swooped toward the Throh and swiped at it with his wings...and instantly knocked it out.

"...Oh..." said Touya, feeling surprised at how easily he defeated this first opponent.

"Alright then," said Marshal, "go Sawk!"

A taller, blue humanoid appeared next.

"Breezy, use Fly!"

Breezy flew upward, then hit the Sawk with his talons, prompting an angry grunt from the Sawk. This time, the Sawk endured the hit, no doubt thanks to it having the Sturdy ability.

 _"Okay, maybe this time I'll have a challenge..."_ thought Touya.

"Use Stone Edge!" shouted Marshal.

His Sawk slammed its fists onto the ground, causing some stony spikes to emerge below Breezy. But Breezy sensed the danger and fluttered upward to avoid the attack. Sawk looked up in alarm as he did so.

"Breezy, use Aerial Ace!"

Breezy swooped down and slashed at the Sawk, knocking it out.

"So strong. That makes my heart dance!" said Marshal. Touya shook his head. This battle was getting to be a little too easy.

"Now comes my next one! Go Conkeldurr!"

A massive humanoid mammal appeared, gripping a giant stone girder in each hand.

"Breezy," said Touya, feeling a bit underwhelmed, "use Aerial Ace?"

Breezy swiped at his opponent with his wings again...and once again knocked his opponent out. The sixty-three pound bird managed to knock out a one hundred and ninety one pound muscular ogre with giant stone girders at its disposal.

Marshal sent out a sleek, weasel-like Pokemon that Touya recognized as Mienshao next.

"That's my final Pokemon! So we'll use our last bit of strength!"

Touya sighed.

"Breezy, use Aerial Ace...again..."

Breezy used Aerial Ace...and sure enough, knocked out the Mienshao.

The awkward silence was deafening.

"Yay...Touya?" asked Juliet, looking as confused and underwhelmed as Touya was.

"Whew! Well done!" said Marshal, shaking Touya's hand, "As your battles continue, aim for even greater heights!"

"Yeah," said Touya, awkwardly, "I'm not sure if I really won here..."

Indeed, Touya felt like he'd get the same results if he simply sat back and played a tape-recorder that repeated the words "Aerial Ace!" over and over.

"Representing the Pokémon League in the absence of the Champion has been my duty as Alder's student." Marshal continued, "However, there is nothing as empty as words not backed up by strength. A word in your ear, strong challenger...the other members of the Elite Four are far more powerful than I am. Do not underestimate them!"

"Alright then, sir," said Touya as he and Juliet left for the League, both not really sure how to feel about this battle.

\----

Touya headed to Caitlin, the Psychic-type specialist, next. He had heard she was one of the hardest to fight against, so he saved her for last.

On her platform, Caitlin was sleeping on a bright pink four-poster bed. And the rest of her room was pretty soft and soothing in atmosphere. As Touya entered, Caitlin awoke and stretched and yawned. She was a tall, thin woman dressed in pink, with long blonde hair that floated with her psychic powers and had pink ribbons. She put on a large pink hat as she got out of the bed. Unlike the others, she looked very annoyed to see him.

"Who are you?" she snapped, "How impudent you are to disturb my sleep."

"Um..." said Touya, feeling a bit intimidated by her, "I'm a challenger to the League...I just defeated the rest of the Elite Four...?"

"Hmf...you appear to possess a combination of strength and kindness. Very well. Make your best effort not to bore me with a yawn-inducing battle. Clear?"

"Um...sure..."

"Very well. Go, Reuniclus!"

"Go Ruff!"

A large green microbe-like creature burst out of Caitlin's Pokeball, its gelatinous limbs wiggling. Ruff barked, having healed from his infection of Mummy.

"Ruff, use Crunch!"

Ruff bit into the Reuniclus, causing it to yelp in pain as it fell to the ground.

"Hmph. Already boring," said Caitlin, returning her Pokemon before sending out a new one, "no matter, go Sigilyph."

A familiar winged alien appeared and Touya returned Ruff and sent out Screech in his place.

"Screech, use Ancient Power!"

Screech hit the Sigilyph with rocks, but didn't knock it out.

"Sigilyph," said Caitlin, "use Ice Beam."

"Uh-oh..."

The Sigilyph sent an icy beam at Screech, causing him to shiver from the cold.

"Don't worry, Screech," said Touya, "use Ancient Power again!"

The second rock attack worked and knocked the Sigilyph out. Caitlin rolled her eyes and returned her avianoid Pokemon.

"Alright then," said Caitlin, "go, Gothitelle."

A shadowy humanoid alien burst out levitating over the field.

"Screech, return! Go Ruff!"

Ruff emerged next. Gothitelle's eyes glowed a purple aura and the aura surrounded Ruff's Black Glasses as well. Touya instantly recognized this as the ability "Frisk".

"Ruff, use Crunch!"

"Gothitelle, use Psychic."

Ruff bit into Gothitelle's arm, causing her to flinch. The Gothitelle sent a telepathic attack at him, sending him flying shortly after.

"Don't give up, Ruff!" said Touya, "Use Crunch again!"

"Dodge it, Gothitelle."

Ruff moved to attack the Gothitelle but she teleported away, before teleporting behind him.

"Now use Shadow Ball."

"Ruff look out!"

Ruff turned around too late and the Gothitelle hit him with the Shadow Ball. Ruff was down, but not out.

"Ruff, use one more Crunch!"

Ruff turned and leaped at the Gothitelle again, biting down onto her arm and slamming her down.

"Gothitelle, return," said Caitlin, smiling slightly this time, "well okay then...it seems this is getting more interesting. Even at a time like this, I should stay cool and collected...go Musharna."

A Musharna emerged as Touya called out "Ruff, use Crunch!"

Ruff was about to use the move in question, but the Musharna teleported, causing him to fall to the ground.

"Musharna, use Charge Beam."

Ruff was promptly hit with an electric shock and knocked out. Touya was about to call out one of his other Pokemon, only for Prima to burst out on her own accord, glaring angrily at the Musharna.

"Prima?" asked Touya, alarmed.

Without Touya's command, Prima used Hyper Beam, sending a fearsome beam at the Musharna and knocking her out in the process.

Caitlin stared in surprise, Touya did the same and Prima crossed her arms, nodding.

"Wow." said Caitlin, "Didn't see that coming. Alright, then. Somehow, you managed to defeat the entire Elite Four of the Pokemon League. Check the statue in the center of the plaza for the way to the Champion's room."

"Thanks," said Touya smiling as he returned Prima, "but first I'll heal up a little. C'mon Juliet."

\----

After healing up his Pokemon, Touya headed to the center of the main building, Juliet following along.

"How does this work?" asked Juliet.

"There's a switch at the base of the statue," said Touya, "I believe this is it."

Touya pressed a small button at the front of the statue's base. Sure enough a blue glow emitted around them and the statue slowly descended into the ground.

"I was right!"

When the statue finally hit the bottom, the group entered the Champion's room, a large stone room with a tall, wide staircase. Touya and Juliet both ascended the stairs, waiting to find Alder.

And when they finally got there, they did indeed find Alder.

He was down on one knee, head bowed in defeated submission.

And standing victoriously before him...

...was N Harmonia.

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yes, Shauntal's Pokemon are named after characters from popular books and Grimsley's are Baccano characters (except Kanra, who's named after a Durarara one). You are now picturing Grimsley with a New York accent.
> 
> Also, Grimsley turning out to not be Burgh's boyfriend was a decision I made partly 'cause I realized I don't like the ship that much and partly 'cause I realized pairing off the two effeminate artsy guys together might hold some...unfortunate implications. I headcanon Grimsley as ace now anyway ^_^
> 
> Hope to see you all in the next one!


	42. Team Plasma's Castle

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hello everyone! Yes I have already posted another chapter! I realized that since school is out and I have very little other obligations, I can actually keep this story going much faster than ever! I'm going to get started on the next chapter right away, either today or tomorrow, and I should be all the way finished with the story in no time!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

Touya stared dumbfounded at the sight before him.

N had made it to the Pokemon League. He had defeated the Elite Four. He had defeated Alder.

_He was Champion._

"It's over," he said triumphantly, glaring down at Alder, "never again will Pokemon be made to suffer or be held captive by humans. And it's all thanks to my friend Zekrom."

He looked down fondly at a Pokeball in his hand before turning back to Alder.

"You may have had the title of Champion," he went on, "but you can't stop me with just a title! Your soft heart has left you weak. Years ago, you lost _your_ Pokemon, your partner, to sickness and in order to ease the pain in your heart, you wandered Unova. Who knows how long it has been since you had to fight with all your heart and strength?"

Alder silently looked down at the floor in response to this.

"I actually kind of like that about you, though," said N, smiling, "but no matter. As the trainer who far outmatches the Champion, I shall issue an order far across Unova. An order for trainers of the world to free their Pokemon!"

"I beg of you..." said Alder, weakly, "separating people from Pokemon...please, do anything but that..."

N turned to glare at him again.

"You and I both put our beliefs on the line and fought with all our strength," he said, "and I won. Don't say another word."

"N!"

N turned to see Touya and Juliet standing there. On Touya's face was a look of determination. On Juliet's, one of anger. N smiled.

"I've been waiting for you, Touya," he said, "in the future I envisioned, you obtained a stone."

"Yeah, I have!" said Touya, "I have the Light Stone now!"

"Indeed. Zekrom is reacting to it. But here...this is not a suitable place for the legendary dragons."

With that, N pulled the Dark Stone out and held it up, before proclaiming: "From the ground, rise up! The castle of Team Plasma! Surround the Pokemon League!"

Nothing happened...at first.

But then, the group all heard a rumbling and felt tremors appearing all around them. In the Champion's room, they couldn't see what was happening, but it felt like they were in the middle of a massive earthquake.

Outside, what was happening was much clearer. Cheren, Bianca, the Elite Four and the League's Nurse Joy and Clerk all exited the building to see lines of massive golden towers jutting out of the ground, forming a massive castle around them. The titanic stone building stretched out wide around the League building, looking to be almost several _kilometers_ long and several times taller than the League building itself.

Debris fell from the massive building as it erupted from the ground like a tree from a seed. Marshal grabbed Shauntal and pulled her away from some of the debris. The group moved further away, watching in horror as eventually, the massive building finished rising, standing tall and imposing over the Pokemon League.

The terror did not end there, though. Out of the windows in the castle, were thirteen huge staircases, extending out to the League's main building. Thunder crashed. Lightning flashed.

Team Plasma had arrived.

The group watching stared in abject horror. Then Cheren came to a realization.

"Bianca..." he said, "Touya's in there."

"Go find him," said Bianca, "and help him if he needs it."

"Wait," said Cheren, "what about you?"

"I have a plan, don't you worry," said Bianca, smiling, "just find Touya and help him!"

"Okay," said Cheren, "good luck with your plan, Bianca..."

"Good luck to you too," said Bianca...right before leaning forward and giving Cheren a kiss on the cheek, "handsome."

Cheren turned red...and then, filled with newfound courage, ran to help aid Touya.

\----

Touya stared in horror as N turned to the massive staircase that had just suddenly appeared from seemingly nowhere.

"Wh-What did you do!?" asked Touya.

"What has just appeared is Team Plasma's castle," said N, stopping but not turning to look at Touya, "the king's words will resound from the heights to all below. You must come to the castle as well. Everything will be decided there. Whether Pokemon will be liberated from people or whether Pokemon and people will live together...we will see whose belief is stronger..."

He finally turned to look at Touya and said "And our result will change the world."

With that, he left.

Before Touya could say anything, he heard a voice.

"Touya! Alder!"

"Cheren?" asked Touya turning to look at him.

"Took you long enough," said Juliet.

"You guys okay?" asked Cheren, "Alder, you're a wreck! It's not fitting for the Champion!"

"You did well to get this far." said Alder, smiling.

"Somehow I beat the Elite Four," said Cheren, "but it wasn't easy."

"I should congratulate you," said Alder, chuckling sadly, "as for me, I...I lost. I should have been able to demonstrate the bond between me and my Pokemon. That would have shown N just how foolish his outrageous claims are. Touya, I beg of you, even if Pokemon are separated from people, nothing good can come of it. Let him know that!"

Touya nodded and said, "I will."

"You in, Cheren?" asked Juliet.

Cheren looked at Alder and said, "No...I think I'll look out for Alder."

"Good," said Touya, "in the meantime, Cheren, does your Unfezant know Fly?"

"Yes, why?"

"I want him to take Juliet back to Nacrene City."

"What!?" asked Juliet, looking up at Touya in shock, "But Touya, I wanna help you kick some Team Plasma booty!"

"Juliet," said Touya, kneeling down and putting both hands on her shoulders, "remember when I said that there would be a point where I'd have to send you back home because the situation would get too dangerous?"

"...Yeah," said Juliet, evidently realizing what's going on.

"Well that time is now. My journey...it's not safe for you anymore. I'm sorry, Juliet...but you have to go home."

Juliet gave a sad sigh and hugged Touya.

"Tell me how it all ended when you win."

"I will...sis."

Juliet smiled as Cheren let out his Unfezant, Skye.

"Take this girl to Nacrene City, Skye." said Cheren.

Skye nodded in understanding as Juliet jumped onto his back. With that, she looked back at Touya as Skye carried her away into the air.

Touya sighed and turned to Cheren.

"See you on the other side, Cheren."

With that, he left.

\----

Touya quickly learned that the castle wasn't going to be easy at all. The first thing he was faced with was six of the Seven Sages glaring at him.

"So," said Zinzolin, "do you wish to challenge our Lord N, Hero of Truth?"

"Yes, I do." said Touya angrily, "what are you old bats gonna do about it?"

"Well," said Giallo, looking angry at Touya's insult, "if anything were to happen to our king, it would be disastrous! It would ruin Ghetsis' perfect plan! Our Lord N will be disappointed, but the six of us shall defeat you here!"

Touya's expression went from determination to fear as the sages advanced on him. There was no way he could take on all of them by himself, and even if he could, he'd never make it in time to stop N. He needed help...he needed a distraction...he needed-

"Can ya manage that?" said a voice.

Touya looked down to see a large metallic drill bursting out of the floor, which then landed to reveal an Excadrill, standing there with its claws bared.

"W-Wha!?" asked Touya.

"Still standin', are ya, Touya?"

Touya turned to see Clay, striding confidently over to them. The sages all looked furious...except Rood, who, curiously, looked somewhat relieved.

"Y-You're Driftveil's...?!" stammered Giallo.

"What are you doing here!?" asked Zinzolin angrily.

"It's not just me..." said Clay.

Sure enough, more Gym Leaders arrived. Lenora with her Watchog. Burgh with his Leavanny. Elesa with her Zebstrika. Skyla with her Swanna. Iris with her Druddigon. Drayden with his Haxorus. Brycen with his Beartic.

"Woah," said Touya, astonished at how many of them had arrived.

"Accursed Gym Leaders!" said an angry Giallo.

"What on Earth are you doing here!?" scowled Bronius.

"Bianca asked us to come," said Burgh, smiling. Touya smiled back.

"And ignoring Team Plasma?" asked Lenora, "What kind of Gym Leaders would we be if we let that happen?"

"Yeah," said Skyla, "Unova's skies are safe with me!"

"Ooh," said Elesa, grinning maliciously, "I can't wait to crush all of your spirits!"

"You shall not get in the way of Team Plasma or our king!" said Bronius, angrily.

"That's right," said an adamant Giallo, "Ghetsis called us the chosen ones! He chose us and gathered us here so we could change the world! For us, defeat is impossible!"

"You wanna bet?" growled Brycen.

The sages all sent out Pokemon. The Gym Leaders sent out theirs.

The battle had begun.

"Go on ahead, Touya," said Iris turning to Touya with a smile in the midst of all the chaos, "we can take things from here!"

Touya watched for a moment...then he smiled and headed off.

\----

Touya arrived at the next floor of the castle and then promptly bumped into someone.

"Ah!" Touya said, before shaking his head. He looked up and saw...the Striaton Triplets?

"Hello, Touya." said Cress, calmly.

"Oh, hey there you guys!" said Touya, relieved to see them, "Thank Arceus you're here, I-"

"Come." said Cilan, monotonously, "We mustn't delay. Come with us to a room where you can heal your Pokemon."

"Huh?" asked Touya, "Umm..."

The triplets continued along and Touya stared at them. When they noticed he wasn't following, they turned and once again they said, "Come." but this time, in unison.

Touya blinked. Something was wrong. The triplets weren't acting like themselves. Touya thought about it and then had an idea.

"Okay, I'll follow you," said Touya, "but first...Chili, how about a great big hug?"

"Chili" looked at Touya blankly, before grimacing and turning away.

 _"Bingo."_ thought Touya.

"Aren't you coming?" asked "Cilan".

"No." said Touya.

"What?" asked "Cress", looking a little angry.

"I said no."

"We're trying to help you," said "Chili", "don't you trust us? We're Gym Leaders!"

"Really, Chili? Then why did you reject my hug offer? The real Chili would have accepted!"

The man impersonating Chili cursed to himself and all three of them promptly dropped their illusions. Sure enough, Touya saw the Shadow Triad, glaring at him. 

"Okay fine," said one member, "you've figured us out."

"What did you do to the real Striaton Triplets!?" asked Touya.

"Nothing," said another member of the Triad, "our intelligence indicates that they're still in Striaton City. Your friend Bianca must not have retrieved them yet. We were almost sure that you wouldn't question our presence if we disguised ourselves since the other Gym Leaders were present."

"Fair enough," said Touya, "what do you want from me then?"

"When we said you could heal your Pokemon, we weren't lying," said the third member, walking toward a nearby door, "in this room you can heal up and access your PC. A battle victory against a weak man is no victory. You need to be at your full strength when you face our master."

Touya looked at the door, then back at the Triad.

"Thanks...I guess."

The Triad said nothing before vanishing. Touya turned his attention back to the door and opened it, stepping inside.

\----

When Touya entered the room, he saw two young women, one with pink hair and one with blond hair, standing there.

"Um...hello?" asked Touya.

"Hello." said both women in unison, "We know who you are, Touya."

"Okay, that no longer surprises me," said Touya, "who are you, though?"

"I am Anthea," said the pink-haired one before gesturing toward the blond one and saying, "and this is my sister, Concordia. Touya, before you confront our Lord N, please take a moment to rest."

"Um...okay, sure." said Touya, handing his Pokemon to Anthea, "So...what do you do for Team Plasma?"

"We're N's sisters, so to speak," said Concordia, "we provide peace and comfort to him. He has been separated from people since he was young. He was brought up with Pokemon, Pokemon who were betrayed, mistreated and hurt by cruel people."

"Ghetsis deliberately brought only those poor Pokemon closer to N," said Anthea, still in the middle of healing Touya's Pokemon, "N was touched by their plight and started to pursue ideals, thinking only of Pokemon."

Hearing this made Touya hate Ghetsis even more. Cruelty toward Pokemon...cruelty toward N...he was an awful human being, and the worst part was, he was getting away with it.

"N's heart is pure and innocent," said Concordia, "but nothing is more painful and terrifying than innocence."

"I take it you guys don't agree with what Ghetsis and N are planning?" asked Touya.

"We absolutely abhor it." said Anthea, turning away with a bitter expression.

"But there isn't much we can do at this point," said Concordia, "we and Rood discovered the truth of Ghetsis' cruelty long ago, but by then it was far too late. N had been conditioned to see things Ghetsis' way. There was nothing we could do to convince him otherwise. But maybe...maybe you can?"

Touya thought about it. On the one hand, N didn't seem keen on listening to him before. But on the one hand, it couldn't hurt to try knocking some sense into him in a battle, could it? Maybe that will finally show him the truth...

"Ah, good," said Anthea, the healing process finally complete, "your Pokemon have regained energy. Trainers battle to practice their skills and grow in experience, but never to hurt their Pokemon. N has realized this deep down in his heart, but he's spent too much painful time here in this castle to admit it..."

Listening to what they were saying, Touya nodded.

"Well then," he said, "I won't let you down ladies. I'm going to go see N. See if he can finally listen to reason."

"Good luck Touya," said both sisters, bowing.

With that, Touya headed out, and up to the next floor.

\----

Touya entered the next floor and was about to go into a room when he saw a man in a black suit and glasses, speaking into a cellphone. This man had slick, blond hair with blue bangs.

"Um, excuse me...?" asked Touya.

The man turned to glare at him and said, "Not now, I'm busy with something important. Also, don't go into that room."

Touya paused, but then continued on and entered the next room. In that room, he discovered the grunts he had kept seeing on his journey.

Petr was pacing the floor, staring at a Pokeball nervously.

Regina was grumbling as her Watchog kept clinging to her leg.

Mara was sulking in a nearby corner.

Touya looked at Petr as he passed him and said "Excuse me, could you tell me-"

"I CAN'T BE PART OF TEAM PLASMA ANYMORE!" blurted Petr.

"Um...why?"

"I-If Lord N wins and becomes Unova's new ruler, he'll make everyone release their Pokemon...but...but I can't release my Watchog. H-He's my friend. I want to keep him...but if I wanna stay a member of Team Plasma, I'll have to release him. And I don't want to release him. I want to keep him and train him more and make him stronger...he's my friend...I don't want to let him go..."

Touya watched this and sighed. Turning to Regina, he walked over to her and tried asking her.

"Hey, Miss Regina," asked Touya, "do you know where N is?"

"I have my own problems, kid," she said, trying to push her Pokemon away from her with her leg, "I don't understand why this Pokemon keeps clinging to me like this. Team Plasma always told me they were just tools."

Touya gave a sigh and smiled. They were learning and changing for the better. That was something.

"Hey kid."

Touya turned to see Mara looking at him.

"You want to know where Lord N is?"

"Yes," said Touya, "will you tell me?"

"Yes. But first, do you wish to return to the League's Pokemon Center?"

"Um..." 

"I'm only going to take you there once. Say yes now if you wish to go there."

"Alright, then, yes."

Mara pulled out a small device with a button on it and pressed the button. Sure enough, they teleported to the League's Pokemon Center. The Nurse Joy and the clerk had returned and both were startled at Touya and Mara's sudden arrival.

"Stock up on whatever you need now," said Mara, "remember, I'm only taking you here once. I'm not doing it again."

Touya nodded, and healed his Pokemon with the nurse before stocking up on as many healing items as he could before joining Mara again.

"Ready to go?"

"Yes."

Mara teleported them back to the room.

"Lord N is in a throne room two floors up," said Mara, "he'll be waiting for you."

"Thank you, Mara," said Touya, "um...is there a catch to this?"

"No catch, just...a request," said Mara, "I...I want you to defeat N."

"...What?" asked Touya, "I thought you worshiped the ground he walked on."

"Yes, I love him...that's _why_ I want you to defeat him! Last night...I saw a side of N I'd never seen before...that side of him...it wasn't the N I fell in love with. He's becoming cold...cruel...just like Ghetsis..."

Touya watched as Mara started to cry. Hearing what she was saying, he sympathized with both her and N.

"I...I can't stand to see that!" Mara went on, tears streaming down her face as she gripped Touya's collar pleadingly, "I can't just sit here and watch as my darling N turns into a monster! So please, Touya, I'm begging you...please save my N...save him from what he's becoming...before it's too late..."

Touya stood there, looking at Mara. After all the things he heard from both her and N's sisters, he knew now more than ever that N had a good heart and was being corrupted by a darker force, almost certainly Ghetsis. Sighing, he said...

"I will. I promise."

\----

Touya left that room and headed to the next floor of the castle...and was promptly interrupted by a member of the Shadow Triad again.

"OH COME ON!" shouted Touya, "This battle's never gonna happen if you jerks keep interrupting me!"

"Come." said the Shadow Triad member, ignoring Touya's outburst, before leading him to a nearby room.

"Where are we now?" asked Touya, exasperated.

"This room is the world that was provided to our Lord N," said the Triad member, "before you confront him, you must see this room. I don't feel anything, even when I go in there. But you may feel something..."

With that the Triad member vanished and Touya turned to the room. The door looked familiar...and then he realized...

"This is the room I kept seeing in my dreams!"

Touya felt a giddy feeling rise inside of him as he realized he could finally see what was inside this room, this mysterious room that had been haunting him for so long.

Without any hesitation, he opened the door.

\----

When Touya opened the door, he was immediately accosted by the sound of disturbing music, seemingly from a music box somewhere, though he couldn't see a music box. He looked around and stepped inside.

The room was very large, with a bed off to one side and brightly colored, pink and white checkerboard wallpaper. The carpet had a cloud pattern. But those were not the most interesting part of this bizarre room.

All over the room were toys and children's playthings of different types. A giant skateboard ramp stood in front of the north wall of the room and there were Pokemon scratches on the sides. A skateboard to go with the ramp rested on a set of toy tires, over which a toy airplane was hanging by a wire. There was a toy train track put together in an elaborate pattern, with brightly colored pieces. The toy train on the track looked as though it had been recently played with.

Turning to another side, Touya saw a basketball hoop with another toy train stuck in it and a basketball below it. Again, it looked as though it had been recently played with.

Touya began to realize that this was all N ever had to know. Terror and sympathy both began to well up inside of him over this revelation. After everything revealed to him, by N's sisters, by the Shadow Triad, by Mara and now by this room, he finally put the pieces together. At long last, he understood why N was so strange, so eloquent yet so childish. He was raised in isolation, forced to only interact with abused Pokemon. Molded into an insane extremist by Ghetsis to complete some evil plan. Touya took a deep breath and left the room.

He proceeded onward to the next floor. He needed now more than any time to confront N. 

\----

Touya arrived at the next floor and immediately witnessed Ghetsis standing at a massive door.

"Welcome, holder of the Light Stone," said Ghetsis, smirking, "this castle that appeared as if it were enveloping the Pokemon League is a symbol, meaning Unova will change!"

"Ghetsis, will you JUST let me fight N already?"

Ghetsis chuckled.

"The king of this castle is the most powerful trainer in the world. He's accompanied by the legendary dragon. He has defeated the Champion. Adding to all this, his heart burns with the desire to change the world! If that's not what makes a hero, what more do you need?"

"Maybe someone who actually thinks for himself?" said Touya.

Ghetsis' expression twitched for a moment, but he brushed the comment off and went on, ignoring what Touya said.

"Now that the stage is set," he said, "we can seize people's minds and hearts! We can bring into being the world that I--no, Team Plasma--desires more easily than you can imagine!"

"Not if I can help it."

"That's what I like to hear," said Ghetsis, "I've been waiting so long for this! I've kept my silence so no one could piece together what I planned. Now those painful days are at an end!"

He opened the door and gestured for Touya to enter.

"Go! Onward, holder of the Light Stone! Discover whether you have what it takes to be a hero!"

Touya shook his head and entered through the doors.

\----

The throne room was a pristine, golden looking place, with a huge catwalk surrounded by water, with pillars on either side and Plasma's banner on all the walls.

And sure enough, N was sitting upon a throne at the end of the room.

"What I desire," said N, "is a world for Pokemon and Pokemon alone. I will separate Pokemon from people, so Pokemon can regain their original power."

"Hey N," said Touya, "I'm here now! You gonna fight me or what?"

N turned to look at Touya and stood up before going on.

"It's time to settle this, once and for all! My determination is absolute! I will prove the value of my beliefs even if it means my Pokemon friends will get hurt! Since you've come this far, I believe you're equally determined, are you not?"

"I am."

"Well then prove it to me, show me the depth of your determination! Come to me Zekrom!"

A loud roar echoed and smashing its way through the wall of the throne room was Zekrom, standing tall over N with a look of fury in its fearsome red eyes. Touya looked up at it, eyes wide and wondering to himself how Reshiram would fair against it.

"The time has come, Hero of Truth!" said N, "Release Reshiram from the Light Stone! Let us battle to decide the fate of Unova!"

Touya was about to do just that, before he paused. He suddenly realized...he still didn't know how to do that. He still couldn't summon Reshiram. There...there was no way for this fight to go on.

"I...I...uhh..."

N sneered.

"You came all this way to battle me," he said, "but Reshiram is not responding, is she?"

"I...I don't know...?"

Both N and Zekrom seemed to chuckle at this statement.

"How disappointing. I actually kind of liked you a little. Through our many battles I got the feeling that you might be a trainer who truly cares for Pokemon."

N shook his head.

"But I was kidding myself. The idea of trainers getting to know each other through battles is ridiculous. You have two options. Challenge me to a fight you can't win, or leave this place and watch the birth of a new world. A world where humans don't enslave and abuse Pokemon like you do!"

Touya listened to all of this and felt anger well up inside him until he finally let it all out.

"N," he said, now completely indignant, "I know I've only known you for a short time, but...could you please, PLEASE listen to someone _other_ than yourself for once!?"

N was stunned into silence. No one had _ever_ spoken to him that way before, except Ghetsis.

"I wouldn't be here right now if I didn't care about my Pokemon!" Touya went on, "I wouldn't have trained them to be as strong as they are, heck, I wouldn't even have kept some of them if that were the case! You said you talked to Sir Hiss? That he said he likes me and he trusts me? Well talk to any of my other Pokemon! They'll vouch for me too! Talk to Prima! She was the first Pokemon I ever caught! I caught her when she was just a little Patrat on Route One! I knew Patrats weren't good in battle but I kept her anyway because she was the first Pokemon I ever caught and I was excited! I gave her the Cut HM so she wouldn't feel left out! I was so proud of her when I watched her evolve into a Watchog! When I went up against the Elite Four, I could have easily given her up, swapped her out for a stronger Pokemon but I didn't! I worked hard to make _her_ stronger, so she could fight without getting hurt!"

N listened, but said nothing more. Touya continued.

"Talk to Breezy! I found him as a Pidove after his nest was smashed up by YOUR underlings! Or Sea Monkey! I evolved her too early; if I were the abusive trainer who only cares about winning like you think, then I would almost certainly have abandoned her for that mistake, but I didn't! I owned up to it and made up for it by showing that she can be strong even with that! These Pokemon aren't my tools. They're my _friends!_ And we get stronger every day by supporting each other and fighting alongside each other! I thought that with time, you could understand that. I guess I was wrong about that. But that doesn't matter, because I know that I am right about _this_ and that Pokemon and humans HAVE to live together! What I'm telling you is and always has been the _truth!_ " 

Suddenly, Touya felt an intense heat emanating from his backpack. His bag began to shake and give off a bright white light, causing Touya to turn and look. N was quite shocked as well, as was Zekrom.

"The Light Stone...I mean, Reshiram...she's...!"

As he said this, the Light Stone floated out of Touya's bag, glowing with a vast, blinding light before expanding. Out from within the white stone, a fiery being burst out of the stone's core, burning the air around it as it did so.

Touya shielded his eyes before the light died down and looked up to see a huge Dragon Pokemon standing in front of him. It appeared to be a foot taller than its counterpart, and in terms of anatomy, it looked a bit like Screech, but with far more dazzling plumage, with pure, clean, angelic white feathers that glistened in the light of the sun. Like Zekrom, its tail looked like a jet turbine, and it glowed with a fiery red energy. Its eyes were a deep blue. It...no, _she_...turned to look at Touya with those blue eyes.

N and Touya both spoke in unison as they looked at this creature.

"Reshiram!"

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, the Shadow Triad disguising themselves as the Striaton Triplets is a reference to that fan theory.


	43. Reshiram

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Whew! We're almost done here! I haven't breezed through a fanfic this easily in years! Here we have the capture of Reshiram and the battle against N. The story's goin' pretty smoothly now!
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

Touya stared up at Reshiram who gave him a powerful and intimidating look. Touya was quite surprised at the arrival of the Vast White Pokemon before him. 

"R-Reshiram?" said Touya.

Reshiram let out a howling roar. Zekrom growled in response.

"Zekrom and Reshiram," said N, looking awestruck, "They were once one life. One Pokemon. Complete opposites, yet the same. Zekrom and Reshiram are Pokemon that appear before the hero they recognize. Ah...I see."

N smiled and looked directly at Touya.

"You really are a hero!"

Touya smiled back, slightly awkwardly.

"I'll tell you what the Pokemon is saying to you-"

"No, that won't be necessary," said Touya.

"What?" asked N, "Why?"

"I...I can hear her voice too."

\----

Caitlin gave a sudden groan and sat down for a moment. Shauntal sat down, placing her hands on her shoulders.

"What's wrong, Caitlin?" asked Shauntal.

"I felt...I felt a sudden presence up there," she said, "it was huge...huge and powerful...I sense Touya and Mr. Harmonia's auras up there as well...that electric dragon that the green-haired brat used is up there too."

"Should we do something about this?" asked Shauntal.

"I'm not sure," said Caitlin, "all four auras are benevolent. But there's a fifth aura just outside of the room they're in...and I've never felt an aura this malevolent before."

"Malevolent?"

"It's hard to explain...but...his aura feels like a bottomless pit of darkness, with no light or goodness anywhere...whoever this fifth person is, he's almost certainly pure evil..."

\----

 _"So,"_ said Reshiram, looking down at Touya, _"my champion, Touya Black, has finally fulfilled the role given to him?"_

"Y-Yes, Reshiram," said Touya, "um...you can speak human?"

 _"Only to you,"_ said Reshiram, before turning to look at the smiling N who was watching the whole conversation and adding _"and apparently him as well."_

"Okay...so...now what?"

_"I am the Dragon representing truth. And because I represent truth, I represent the truth of Pokemon training..."_

"And you know that humans and Pokemon need each other, right?"

_"Yes, I do. My counterpart does not agree, but humans and Pokemon need to live together. Battling is not cruel unless the trainer is cruel. Cruel trainers do exist, but they're not the default. Most trainers are kind. And you and your opponent are both examples of that."_

"Alright," said Touya, "what should I do now?"

_"I won't just join you on command. I want to know that you're worthy of being my ally. Battle me and win."_

"Alright," said Touya, "I think I know the way to do that. Get out there Screech!"

Screech let out a squawk as he was let out and looked around before looking up at Reshiram. 

"Arck?" he said, apparently to Reshiram.

"She's gonna be our new teammate, Screech," said Touya, "I want you to paralyze her with Dragon Breath."

"Arck! Arck arck arck arck!"

Touya didn't understand, he heard Reshiram chuckle.

 _"Flattery won't make me go easy on you, Romeo,"_ she said, _"shall we battle?"_

"Screech, use Dragon Breath!"

Screech fired out a fearsome gust from his mouth, hitting Reshiram point blank. However, she wasn't paralyzed yet.

_"You can't paralyze me yet, Touya...but two can play at this game. DRAGON BREATH!"_

Reshiram fired a gust of her own from her mouth, hitting Screech in the process.

"Don't be discouraged, Screech," said Touya, "use Dragon Breath again! Keep it up until she's paralyzed!"

Screech nodded, throwing another Dragon Breath Reshiram's way. She was hit again and this time, she was paralyzed.

"Yes! Now..."

Touya pulled out the Master Ball.

 _"Now's the time,"_ he said.

With that, he threw the Master Ball at Reshiram, drawing her into the ball and capturing her immediately.

"Ha! Yes!"

Touya picked up the Master Ball. He heard Reshiram's voice from inside.

_"I should probably scold you for using the Master Ball...but you still battled me, so I suppose that's alright..."_

Touya nodded. He looked at his Pokedex and decided not to give Reshiram a nickname.

The 'dex also gave him a message:

_[You have six Pokemon on your party. Would you like to send another Pokemon to your PC system?]_  
_[Yes]/[No]_

Touya thought about it and tapped the "yes" option. He decided to send Prima home to Nuvema Town, with his mom and dad.

"See you when I get home, Prima," he said, smiling, "be safe..."

_Reshiram_  
_Adamant Nature_  
_N's Castle_  
_Met at level 50_  
_Likes to run_

\----

"Touya," said N, smiling, "congratulations! Reshiram has lent her power to you just as the legends said! She will now stand by your side."

"Thanks," said Touya, "I suppose this means we need to battle?"

"Not yet," said N, "first, I'm going to heal your Pokemon. There's no triumph in battling a weakened opponent."

"Alright then," said Touya handing his Pokemon to N, who began to heal them before handing them back to him, "okay...so I'm going to stop you. I'm going to end this, stop you from stealing everyone's Pokemon and help you finally listen to reason!"

"I'll sweep the floor with you before that happens," said N, sneering, "but let's not use the legendary dragons right away..."

"What?" asked Touya.

"Their clash will be what changes the world. Let's fight with the rest of our teams first."

Touya thought for a moment, then said "Okay, that makes sense..."

"Right then. Let's begin! GO HERMES!"

A Carracosta with a slightly cracked shell emerged from N's thrown Pokeball, letting out a loud roar.

 _"A Carracosta, Water and Rock..."_ thought Touya.

"Go, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss reared up and flicked his tongue out.

"Use Leaf Tornado, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss sent a wind of sharp leaves at the Carracosta, but the enormous turtle still endured the hit--it must have had the Sturdy ability...

"Do you really think you can stop us with that?" said N, "Hermes, use Stone Edge!"

The Carracosta slammed one of his front flippers down on the ground. Tremors formed and a set of sharp stones emerged from the ground, hitting Sir Hiss, slashing into his skin.

"Don't worry, Sir Hiss," said Touya, "you can still keep this up! Use Giga Drain!"

Sir Hiss absorbed what was left of the Carracosta's health, causing it to faint. N scowled.

"You really are strong...but I'm just getting started. Go, Boreas!"

A Vanilluxe emerged next, giggling.

"Go, Screech!"

Screech burst out, looking ready to fight.

"Use Ancient Power!" shouted Touya.

Screech squawked and sent a series of rocks at the Vanilluxe, injuring it, but not knocking it out.

"Heh," said N, "you still haven't learned...use Blizzard!"

The Vanilluxe's cheery smile turned into a sneer and he sent a gust of icy wind at Screech. Screech whimpered and began to shiver.

"Screech, return! Get out there Ruff!"

Screech was switched out and Ruff emerged in his place. 

"Ruff, use Reversal!"

"Use Blizzard again, Boreas!"

Ruff ran at the Vanilluxe only to be hit by the icy attack and end up frozen solid. 

"Ruff!"

N smirked as Touya fumbled for a Full Restore, which he then sprayed at Ruff. Ruff The Full Restore thawed Ruff out of his freezing.

"Try using Reversal again, Ruff!"

Ruff turned to glare at the Vanilluxe and slammed into it, hard.

"Boreas, return!" said N, angrily, "We can't lose this one, go Tick-Tock!"

A Klinklang arrived next, whirring and clicking. Touya sent out Sir Hiss again.

"Sir Hiss, use Giga Drain!"

Sir Hiss smirked and drained the gear-like Pokemon of its health, only for something surprising to happen...

After Sir Hiss drained his opponent, he noticed its form beginning to flicker, like some sort of projection of light. Suddenly, standing in the Klinklang's place, was a Zoroark with a scar over its eye.

"Woah..." said Touya, remembering Zoroark's illusion ability. Sir Hiss seemed quite awestruck as well, looking at the Zoroark with wide, sparkling eyes.

"Don't let me down, Kagami," said N, smiling at the Zoroark, "win this for me, dear brother...USE FLAMETHROWER!"

The illusory fox sent a jet of flames in Sir Hiss' direction. Touya panicked and held out his Pokeball.

"Sir Hiss, return!"

Sir Hiss turned as if to protest before being returned, causing the fiery attack to miss.

"Go, Sea Monkey!"

Sea Monkey arrived, smiling serenely.

"Use Focus Blast, Kagami!"

The Zoroark sent a blast of power in Sea Monkey's direction, hitting her with great force. Sea Monkey made an angry chirping noise in response before Touya gave the order: "Use Surf!"

Sea Monkey sent a wave of water from the throne room's reservoirs at the Zoroark, drenching him and nearly knocking him into the other reservoir.

"Return, Kagami!" called out N, returning his Zoroark, "Go, Tick-Tock!"

A dented Klinklang that Touya assumed was N's real one was sent out this time. Touya was about to order Sea Monkey to fight it again, but Reshiram stepped in.

_"I'll handle this, Touya..."_

The Klinklang used a Hyper Beam, which Reshiram chuckled at before hitting it with Fusion Flare. The Klinklang began spinning out of control in a panic before being returned to its Pokeball.

"Alright," said N, "this is my last friend before Zekrom...then the real test begins. Go, Cinder!"

A gimpy-winged Archeops arrived next, screeching and growling.

"Okay, now you can handle this, Sea Monkey!"

Sea Monkey jumped out in the frontlines.

"Use Stone Edge, Cinder!"

The Archeops slammed his talons down on the floor, prompting sharp stones to erupt around Sea Monkey, who let out a screech. Touya pulled out a Max Potion, restoring the health she lost.

"Sea Monkey, use Scald!"

"Acrobatics, Cinder!"

Sea Monkey was about to spray scalding water from her mouth when the Archeops fluttered upward, dodging her attack. The prehistoric bird proceeded to fly swiftly toward her, so fast he was little more than a blur, before striking her with his claws.

"Sea Monkey!"

But miraculously, Sea Monkey was alright. Grinning along, she shot a Scald attack at the now distracted Archeops, knocking him right out of the sky.

"Cinder! Return!" said N, returning his Archeops to his Pokeball before turning dramatically to look at Touya.

"So," said N, "it comes down to this."

Zekrom stood behind him, crossing both arms with a sneer.

"Indeed," said Touya, "it's not too late to surrender, though."

Reshiram stood behind him, wings outstretched elegantly.

"No," said N, "I'll never surrender. I WILL change the world, and I will NOT let you get in my way!"

"...Alright then," said Touya, "have it your way."

"Zekrom, FIGHT!"

"Wipe him out, Reshiram!"

Reshiram and Zekrom both charged at each other. Zekrom immediately sent a ball of lightning at Reshiram, who scowled and sent a massive ball of fire in her counterpart's direction. 

"Zekrom," said N, "use Zen Headbutt!"

Zekrom took a deep breath before zooming toward Reshiram and headbutting her.

"Reshiram?" asked Touya.

_"I'm fine, Touya...give me a command..."_

"Okay," said Touya, "use Dragon Breath!"

Reshiram fired her attack at Zekrom, singing his metallic scales in the process. 

"You need any help, Zekrom?"

 **"Nah kid,"** said Zekrom, **"I'm good..."**

"Alright, use Fusion Bolt again!"

Zekrom spread out his wings and hovered high above the battle field, sending a bolt of lightning in Reshiram's The electric attack hit Reshiram hard, causing electricity to course through her body. She sneered immediately afterward.

 _"YOU THINK THAT CAN STOP ME, ZEKROM!?"_ she bellowed, soaring upward with her great white wings outstretched, _"IT WILL ONLY MAKE MY FUSION FLARE STRONGER!"_

Reshiram sent out a blast of flame in Zekrom's direction, though he dodged just in time, causing a hole to be blasted in the wall behind him. Zekrom landed down next to N.

"We need more defenses, Zekrom!" said N, placing a hand on the dragon's leg, "We can't let them win!"

**"Light Screen it is, then!"**

Zekrom stood up and raised a glowing wall of light.

"Crap," said Touya, "that'll suppress our special attacks..."

 _"Way ahead of you, Touya..."_ said Reshiram, sneering, as she sharpened the claws on her wings.

Swooping forward, she slashed at Zekrom's chest, causing him to wince.

"That was a crit, wasn't it!?" asked Touya, smiling.

 _"Indeed it was,"_ said Reshiram, proudly.

"We can't lose, Zekrom!" said N, "What are we going to do?"

 **"Reshiram's a special attacker at heart, N,"** said Zekrom, **"as long as my Light Screen holds, we'll be fine!"**

Reshiram proceeded to send an Extrasensory attack that shattered the Light Screen and projected straight into Zekrom's mind.

**"Whoops, spoke too soon..."**

Zekrom took to the air, Reshiram pursuing him furiously as the two trainers watched.

 _"Zekrom,"_ said Reshiram, as she swooped down upon Zekrom, striking him with her claws, _"what do you hope to accomplish with this pointless battle? You and I both know that all either of us truly want is to be whole again. To go back to the way things used to be...do you want to end up like the grey one? Losing your mind as your body degenerates beyond repair?"_

 **"Reshiram..."** said Zekrom, blocking her attack with his arm, sending her flying backwards before she shrieked and flew swiftly toward him, **"You know I miss you...but...I can't keep allowing people to force Pokemon into servitude like this...you saw how those ungrateful humans treat us...how they turned our kind into slaves...tools for their own whims...I must fight for my ideals...I must free all Pokemon with the help of my friend...N..."**

Reshiram sighed as she slammed hard into her counterpart, wings flapping to maintain her balance.

_"You never did change, did you? So blinded by your ideals that you can't see the truth even as it stares you in the face...it seems I'll have to take you down now...DRAGON BREATH!"_

Reshiram fired one last Dragon Breath at Zekrom, sending him hurtling into the ground with a mighty crash, narrowly avoiding Touya and N in the process. Reshiram soared back down, landing next to Zekrom and staring down at him.

Touya and N looked at the scene in front of them. Zekrom stirred and weakly tried to get up, before finally speaking...

**"Reshiram...you win."**

N slumped, his eyes downcast.

"Wha...what did he say?" asked Touya.

"You and Reshiram won." said N.

"Really!?" said Touya, happily, "Reshiram! That was awesome!"

 _"Thank you, Touya,"_ said Reshiram, smiling as she lowered her head to allow Touya to pet her. He smiled as he ran his hands through her soft white feathers which were warm to the touch. Then he turned to see N looking upset.

"Everything's ruined..." he said, "the ideals I held...the dreams Pokemon shared..."

"N..." said Touya.

"Zekrom and I were beaten," said N, turning away from Touya as Zekrom rose up and tried to console him, "your truth...your feelings...Reshiram...Zekrom...they each chose a different hero..."

Touya looked at N and gave a sigh.

"N, I-"

"Touya!"

Touya turned to see Alder and Cheren running toward them.

"Oh, hey you guys!" said Touya, "I...I just defeated N!"

"Alright!" said Cheren, "Congrats!"

Cheren then looked up at the very imposing figure of Reshiram.

"Ohh...that's your dragon, isn't it?" he asked.

"Yeah," said Touya, smiling up at Reshiram, "she's quite a sight, isn't she?"

Reshiram smiled back.

"So N," asked Alder, "how are you feeling now?"

N looked at him, then turned away.

"I'm a failure," said N, "I failed Team Plasma...I failed my friends...I'll never be able to make the world I wanted...now Pokemon will never be free..."

Touya looked at N sympathetically. He walked over to him and tapped his shoulder.

"Hey, N," said Touya as N turned to look at him, "look, I'm the Hero of _Truth_ , right? I'm not going to lie to you and say I think the system is completely perfect as it is. There are problems with Pokemon training and battling, problems that need to be addressed. But doing away with it altogether is not the answer."

N looked at Touya, but didn't say anything. Cheren gave Touya a skeptical look and Alder just smiled.

"Here," Touya went on, holding out a hand for N to shake, "I have an idea...why don't we _share_ the title of Champion? My truth combined with your ideals. We can reform the system...together."

N looked surprised at such a suggestion.

"Is...is that even possible?" he asked, "Two champions living at the same time--one that pursues truth and one that pursues ideals? Could...could they both be right?"

"We never know unless we try." said Touya with a smile.

N paused...and then, he smiled back. This time, with a truly sincere and oddly quite dazzling smile.

"Okay, Touya. I see what you mean now. I'll accept your offer."

N was just about to shake Touya's hand.

And then, they both heard a voice in the shadows...

"Dragon Pulse."

To be continued...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Yeah, that last part was a reference to Ky-Nim. It made too much sense, okay? Don't worry though, the next chapter won't take it much further than that.  
> Hope you enjoyed this chapter, but Touya ain't outta the woods yet!


	44. The True King

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> We've reached the homestretch. Story's almost complete. It's been quite a ride, hasn't it?
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

"Dragon Pulse."

A powerful shockwave burst from the shadows and hit Zekrom point blank. The Deep Black Pokemon looked around in a daze for his attacker only to be hit with another shockwave that knocked him unconscious.

"ZEKROM!" cried out N, as his dragon began to fall.

"N, look out!" shouted Touya.

N quickly regained his senses and returned the falling dragon to his Pokeball, breathing heavily and in a panic.

"What was that!?" asked Cheren.

 _"Touya,"_ said Reshiram, pointing towards the throne room's entrance, _"look!"_

Touya turned around and saw the familiar form of Ghetsis entering the room, accompanied by a dark, shambling figure behind him.

"So, N," said Ghetsis, coldly, "after all of that, do you think you're still worthy of sharing the name Harmonia with me?"

"F-Father!" said N, looking frightened, "I-"

"SILENCE!" shouted Ghetsis, "Don't speak to me any further! You failed at every step of this mission, you good-for-nothing boy!"

N stared at Ghetsis in silence before lowering his head forlornly and saying nothing. Touya looked on in sympathy.

"Wait a minute," said Cheren, astonished "back up...YOU'RE N'S DAD!?"

"Not anymore," said Ghetsis, "I have no son. Not after a failure this egregious."

He turned his attention back to N, and went on.

"You...after saying you had to put your beliefs on the line and battle to see which one chosen by the legendary Pokemon was the true hero, you LOST to an _ordinary_ trainer! There is such a thing as being too stupid! Add it up and you're nothing more than a warped, defective boy who knows nothing but Pokemon!"

N just sighed, and, though it took a moment for Touya to catch it, nodded slightly in resigned agreement. Touya didn't know why, but this caused anger to boil inside of him, his hands to ball up into tight fists...

"And as for _you_ , oh 'Hero of Truth'," Ghetsis added, turning his attention to Touya, "in all my years of planning I NEVER would have thought the legendary dragon would choose a trainer like you, that caught me completely off-guard!"

"Really?" said Touya, glaring at Ghetsis, "Consider that my greatest honor, then."

Ghetsis scoffed in response.

"Mock me all you want, you petulant child," said Ghetsis, darkly, "this doesn't change my goal. My plans have not been disturbed! In order to rule this world utterly, to manipulate the hearts of people who know nothing, I will keep fighting!"

"Rule the world...?" muttered N.

"Hey wait," said Cheren, "I thought Team Plasma's goal was to liberate Pokemon or something, not take over the world like some cartoonish supervillain!"

"Heh," sneered Ghetsis, "that...that was just a convenient lie I needed to create Team Plasma. Use your head. What's to be gained from letting go of useful _things_ like Pokemon? Certainly, manipulating Pokemon helps people expand their possibilities, that much I can agree with! I learned a long time ago just how powerful Pokemon can be..."

Touya noticed a hint of pain in Ghetsis' voice when he said that last sentence.

"So," Ghetsis went on, "it only naturally follows that I and I alone should be able to use Pokemon!"

"That's crazy!" said Cheren.

"Indeed it is," said Alder, "Ghetsis that's a ridiculous idea!"

"Feh," said Ghetsis, dismissively, "you can say what you want. A Pokemon, even if it's worshiped as a deity, is still just a Pokemon. Just because it chose him doesn't mean it's a threat. Since you know my true goals you must be eliminated!"

He pulled out a scepter and pressed a button on it, and Touya looked down to see his Pokeballs flashing, a sign that his Pokemon had been healed.

"You shall face ME in battle now!" said Ghetsis, grinning insanely, "I can't wait to see the look on your face when you've lost all hope!"

Touya stared at Ghetsis and then said..."Challenge accepted."

"Touya," said Cheren, "you need any help?" 

"We can assist you," said Alder.

"No..." said Touya, "he's mine. I want to take him down myself."

\----

The first Pokemon Ghetsis sent out was a Cofagrigus, which grinned menacingly at Touya as Reshiram stepped in to face him.

"Reshiram, use Fusion Flare!"

Reshiram smirked and sent a fiery blast at the Cofagrigus which screeched viciously.

"I was expecting just that kind of move. Poison it, Cofagrigus."

The Cofagrigus used a move Touya recognized as Toxic. But Reshiram, fortunately wasn't poisoned.

"Reshiram, use Dragon Breath!"

Reshiram sent a multicolored gust at the Cofagrigus, which snickered in response.

"Shadow Ball, Cofagrigus." said Ghetsis.

A sudden blast of shadows hit Reshiram, who growled viciously in response. Touya pulled out a Full Restore and sprayed Reshiram with it.

"Here you go, girl..."

_"Thank you, Touya."_

Ghetsis, meanwhile, was also spraying a Full Restore at his Cofagrigus.

"There. You're healthy. Now kill the dragon."

The Cofagrigus snickered and turned to Reshiram, only to be hit with another fiery blast from Reshiram's Fusion Flare.

"You stupid creature," hissed Ghetsis, "are you going to let her defeat you!? You're not worth the gold you're made of! Use Toxic again!"

Cackling insanely, the Cofagrigus hit Reshiram with Toxic. Reshiram growled.

"Use Dragon Breath, Reshiram!"

"Use Protect, Cofagrigus!"

Reshiram's attack bounced off a shield of shadows that Cofagrigus projected. Reshiram used another Dragon Breath, but the Cofagrigus used another Protect. The two kept spamming the same attacks, but to Touya's surprise, Reshiram was the one getting noticeably more confident.

 _"That won't stop me, your majesty,_ she said, grinning viciously at Cofagrigus, _"that move will be weakened the more you use it!"_

With that, Reshiram sent another blast, which broke through Cofagrigus' Protect and hit him hard, before afflicting him with paralysis.

"YES!" said Touya, happily, "Now take him out! Use Extrasensory!"

Reshiram hit her opponent with a powerful psychic attack. Cofagrigus let out a scream and collapsed with a "clang", his shadowy form drawing back into his sarcophagus.

"Ugh," said Ghetsis, not returning the Cofagrigus to its Pokeball, instead just pushing its unconscious form aside, "useless ghost...no matter, go Bouffalant!"

The next Pokemon was an enormous bison with thick curly fur and long powerful horns. Touya ordered Reshiram to back down, then sent out Ruff.

"Bouffalant! Use Head Charge!"

The Bouffalant charged at Ruff and hit him with its thick fur, dealing damage in the process.

"You ran into my trap," said Touya, smiling, "Ruff, use Reversal!"

Ruff slammed into the Bouffalant, hitting it with all he had and dealing twice the damage as before. Reversal was a Fighting-type move (already strong against the Normal-type Bouffalant) that got stronger the lower the Pokemon's health was. Ruff grinned as he looked at the Bouffalant, staggering to its feet.

"No, no..." said Ghetsis, glaring, "use Head Charge again!"

It hit Ruff again. Touya shook his head.

"Reversal, Ruff!" 

Ruff once again went all out and attacked the Bouffalant, persisting until the large bovine collapsed to the ground. Ghetsis gritted his teeth, but then he calmed himself.

"Well then...it seems you're stronger than I thought...I was going to save this one for last but...I believe it's time to use my ace. Go, HYDREIGON!"

The shambling creature behind Ghetsis moved out onto the field, before looking at Touya and raising its arms, revealing three menacing snakelike heads, all hissing viciously at Touya and his Pokemon.

The reactions were swift--Cheren and Alder looked shocked. N gasped and covered his ears, trembling. Ruff backed away, whimpering. And Touya...Touya had the sudden realization.

"That's...That's the creature from my dream!"

 _"Stand aside, Touya,"_ said Reshiram, _"I'll handle this..."_

Reshiram spread out her wings and fired a Fusion Flare at her opponent, hitting it point blank...and as the smoke cleared, it revealed it was completely unharmed.

"Is that the best you've got?" asked Ghetsis, "Hydreigon, use Dragon Pulse! Kill it like you killed its worthless counterpart!"

Reshiram spread her wings and took to the sky as the Hydreigon sent shock waves from its mouth in her direction.

"Reshiram, try using Dragon Breath!"

Reshiram soared over head, attempting to fire her Dragon Breath at the Hydreigon, who dodged it with expert ease while firing attacks of its own.

"Hydreigon, don't let it defeat you!" said Ghetsis, raising his scepter threateningly, "Destroy the white dragon or you'll get another beating!"

The Hydreigon looked up at Reshiram, who was about to swoop down and attack it again. The Hydreigon proceeded to fire another Dragon Pulse at its opponent.

This time, the attack landed without failing. The shockwaves hit Reshiram square in the chest, burning a deep wound into it. A loud noise, half-roar and half-scream escaped Reshiram's mouth as she fell to the ground, bloodied feathers falling all around her as she did so.

"RESHIRAM!" shouted Touya.

A sneer was on Ghetsis' face, as well as all three of the Hydreigon's. N looked on in horror. Cheren and Alder were in disbelief.

Reshiram...fainted!

"Give up yet, boy?" asked Ghetsis.

"You wish," said Touya, returning Reshiram, "go Screech!"

Screech burst out and looked around for his opponent...and when he saw the Hydreigon, he panicked in fear before turning to Touya with a pleading look.

"No, Screech," said Touya, "it's okay! Use Dragon Claw and Dragon Breath! You can beat him!" 

Screech looked at Touya, then nodded.

"Alright, first Dragon Claw!"

Screech's sickle claws began to glow with a purple aura and he flew in the Hydreigon's direction, slicing at it and then kicking it into the water nearby. 

"Alright!" shouted Touya as Screech turned to look at him with a smile, "We beat him!"

"You'd like to think that, wouldn't you?" said Ghetsis.

"Wait," said Touya, "what?"

"Touya look!" shouted Cheren, pointing at the water.

Touya turned to see the water beginning to bubble...and then beginning to surge...

And his eyes widened.

"SCREECH GET OUT OF THERE!"

It was too late. The Hydreigon burst out with massive waves surrounding it, sweeping downward and washing Screech into the waters on the other side.

"Screech!" shouted Touya, pulling out the bird's Pokeball and turning to look for him. After a few terrifying seconds, Touya finally saw Screech resurface, struggling in the water and gasping for breath, before finally being returned to his Pokeball.

Ghetsis snickered evilly in response, and for a moment, Touya was sure the deranged Hydreigon was doing the same.

"Sir Hiss, go!" said Touya, sending out Sir Hiss, who reared up and looked at the three-headed abomination before him. Ghetsis just laughed.

"You've got to be kidding. Hydreigon, finish this quickly with a Fire Blast!"

All three heads sent a stream of fire at Sir Hiss and hit him hard, scorching several of his leaves and a fair bit of his skin.

"No, Sir Hiss!" shouted Touya, watching his starter teeter for a moment. Touya pulled a Full Restore out and sprayed it on Sir Hiss, restoring health, but unfortunately not the singed off leaves, "Use Leaf Blade, Sir Hiss! Dodge any and all attacks it tries to use on you!"

Sir Hiss sharpened his tail and swiped at the dragon with it, the Hydreigon dodging and firing off attacks at it did so--Touya could recognize Focus Blast among them. Then he began to take notice of Ghetsis' apparent strategy...

First, he remembered Cofagrigus' ability, Mummy, and how it would counter against a Pokemon like Zoroark, which was reliant on its ability of Illusion. If Zoroark hit Cofagrigus with a physical move, it would temporarily lose its Illusion ability, making it a sitting duck for attack. Then, he recalled how easily Hydreigon was able to defeat Screech and Reshiram...how it knew a move super effective against Rock-types and could take out a legendary dragon. And now it was demonstrating that it knew Focus Blast...four of N's six Pokemon were weak to Fighting-type moves. That's when it dawned on him...

"N," said Touya, "Ghetsis was planning on using all of these Pokemon on _yours!_ "

N looked up in horror and Ghetsis just chuckled.

"Give the boy a prize!" sneered Ghetsis, darkly, as Sir Hiss fell in front of Touya, badly wounded and burned. The Hydreigon floated over him and Touya, all three heads grinning insanely as Ghetsis kept laughing.

"No..." said Touya, kneeling down next to Sir Hiss and gripping a Full Restore in a shaking hand, "no please Sir Hiss, please, hang in there!"

"Since you've figured this much out," said Ghetsis, sneering, "I'll let you in on a little secret before you die...I wasn't just planning on using my Hydreigon on N's Pokemon...you see, I can't afford the competition when ruling the world, so once N and I are alone together, I intended to challenge him...and then, I would use my Hydreigon to attack him directly."

Touya looked up at Ghetsis and his Hydreigon, terrified. He heard N whimper a little behind him.

"N took a very strong liking to you, boy," Ghetsis continued, "and I intend to savor the look of despair on his face when I order my Hydreigon to tear you apart right in front of him...and you'll only be the appetizer. N is the main course! It looks like it's game over for both of you..."

Touya looked up at him and then at Sir Hiss. Sir Hiss gave him a look...a look of determination and resolve. A confident smirk appeared on the snake's face, showing that despite his injuries, he was still ready to fight. Touya smiled. They had gone through so much together. They fought alongside each other for the past year. They were best friends until the end of time. Both of them were ready to fight...for each other, for their friends, for Unova...

"No..." said Touya, "it's not over!"

"What!?"

"I won't let you take over Unova. I won't let you take away my Pokemon or my friends' Pokemon! And I won't let you hurt N anymore! Sir Hiss! USE GIGA DRAIN! _GIVE IT EVERYTHING YOU'VE GOT!_ "

Sir Hiss began draining Hydreigon of its health, the Hydreigon resisting and roaring in pain. Sir Hiss kept draining it, restoring his own health at the expense of the three-headed monstrosity, weakening it more and more until it collapsed.

The dragon stirred on the ground, looking up at Sir Hiss, who glowered angrily at it.

In a panic, the Hydreigon spread out all six wings and flew upward out of the hole in the wall Zekrom made.

"What!?" shouted Ghetsis, "GET BACK HERE YOU GREAT USELESS BEAST!"

Touya grinned as he looked at Ghetsis, who scowled.

"It's not over yet you little brat," said Ghetsis, sending out a large, hulking amphibian with speaker-like orbs around its body that Touya recognized as Seismitoad.

"Sir Hiss, go get him!"

"Sludge Bomb, Seismitoad!"

The Seismitoad sent a burst of poison at Sir Hiss, poisoning him in the process.

"Use Leaf Tornado, Sir Hiss!"

Sir Hiss swiped his tail, sending a leafy wind to cut into the giant toad's skin. It was down immediately.

"Eelektross!" shouted Ghetsis, looking angrier and more desperate, "Destroy them! Don't let them beat me! Use Acrobatics!"

A floating jawless fish appeared next and swooped down with great speed to nimbly strike Sir Hiss.

"Sir Hiss, Giga Drain it!"

Sir Hiss began absorbing the Eelektross' health, prompting an angry noise from Ghetsis.

"No...NO! Use Flamethrower! Burn this whole castle to the ground if you must!"

The electric fish sent a jet of fire at Sir Hiss who dodged the attack with great speed before using one more Giga Drain, sapping the fish of its remaining health, knocking it out.

"Great job, Sir Hiss!" said Touya, running to his starter and hugging him tightly, "You've earned yourself a rest..."

He returned Sir Hiss to his Pokeball before a Bisharp emerged from Ghetsis' next Pokeball.

"This is my last Pokemon..." said Ghetsis, furiously, "you better not fail me..."

"Go, Ruff!"

Ruff burst out of the Pokeball, barking angrily.

"Ru-"

"BISHARP USE NIGHT SLASH! GO FOR THE EYES!"

"What!?"

The Bisharp moved faster than Touya could see, slashing at Ruff's face, causing the dog to let out a loud screech. Touya stared in horror...the Bisharp had slashed out Ruff's right eye.

"Ruff!" said Touya, panicked, but Ruff clearly wasn't deterred. The dog used a Reversal attack and slammed into the metallic creature, sending it crashing to the ground.

It was done.

It was over.

Ghetsis was defeated.

\----

"What is this!?" said Ghetsis, trembling with rage, "My calculations...no...my careful schemes! The world should be mine! I created Team Plasma with my own hands! I'm absolutely perfect! I AM PERFECTION! I am the perfect ruler of a perfect new world!"

"Give it a rest, you old geezer," said Touya in an annoyed voice.

"You little brat..." said Ghetsis pulling out his scepter threateningly, only for it to be knocked out of his hand by a sudden attack. He turned to see Horus hovering over Alder, having been the one to use the attack.

"Now N," said Alder, turning to N, "do you still think Pokemon and humans should be separated?"

Before N could respond, Ghetsis gave a laugh.

"Since I couldn't become the hero and obtain the legendary dragon myself, I prepared N for that purpose!" he said, "He's nothing more than a freak without a human heart! Do you think you're going to get through to a warped person like that!?"

"How about you shut up, Ghetsis?" asked Alder, prompting Ghetsis to sputter with anger.

"Just ignore him, Alder," said Cheren, "he's the real freak without a human heart."

"Indeed," said Alder, "he's truly pitiful."

"Stop ignoring me!" shouted Ghetsis.

"N," said Alder, "I'm sure you have a lot to think about. I know you weren't seeking ideals just because of Ghetsis' manipulations, but because your heart was truly inspired. That's why you were able to meet the legendary dragon."

"I...I have no right to be the hero," said N.

"That's not true," said Touya, "Zekrom chose you, didn't he? He trusts you. He thinks you're worthy of being his hero."

"Indeed. What are you and the legendary dragon going to do now? That's important, wouldn't you agree?"

N looked at him seriously, eyes welling up, and then said, "Acting like you understand me, when up till now we've been fighting over our beliefs. And yet...after all that, you forgive me...why!?"

"N," said Alder, walking over to N and placing his hands on his shoulders, "even if we don't understand each other, that's no reason to reject each other. There are two sides to any argument. Is there ever one point of view that really has all the answers? Give it some thought."

N paused, then smiled, wiping away his tears and nodded.

"Come Cheren," said Alder, grabbing Ghetsis by the arm, "let's take Ghetsis to the police."

"Unhand me!" shouted Ghetsis as both Alder and Cheren escorted him away, "Let go! I am the rightful ruler of Unova! I am perfection! I'LL HAVE MY REVENGE!"

Touya and N watched Cheren and Alder take Ghetsis away and N sighed.

"Touya," said N, taking Touya's hand, "now that we're alone, I want to talk to you about something."

"Okay, N," said Touya as the two walked closer to the throne.

"It's about when I first met you in Accumula Town," said N, "remember when I was shocked about what I heard your Pokemon saying?"

"Yes." said Touya.

"Well..."

N looked back on that day, what he heard Sir Hiss saying back when he was just a little Snivy.

 _"Thank you, Trainer!"_ said the young Sir Hiss, _I love winning! And I'm starting to like you, too...I think I'll like being your partner."_

"...I was shocked because he said that he liked you. And that he wanted to be with you. And...I couldn't understand it. I couldn't believe that there were Pokemon who liked people. Because up until that moment, I had never known a Pokemon like that."

"What about your Pokemon?" asked Touya, smiling.

"They wanted to be with _me_ ," said N, "but they hated all other humans, because they were abused...abused so badly that they can never be released into the wild. Anyway, the longer my journey continued, the more unsure I became. All I kept meeting were Pokemon and people who communicated with and helped one another. That's why I needed to confirm my beliefs by battling with you. I needed to confront you, hero-to-hero. I needed that more than anything."

Touya smiled.

"N...you and I are counterparts as much as Reshiram and Zekrom are," said Touya, still smiling, "maybe we can be friends now? Now that the fight's over? My offer of sharing the Champion title is still on the table."

N smiled back, sadly.

"That's nice of you, Touya, but...no...after all that's transpired, I realize I'm far too inexperienced. There's no way a person like me, one who understands only Pokemon...actually, no...I didn't understand them either. No way could I measure up to you, when you were you had met so many Pokemon and were surrounded by friends. The Champion has forgiven me...and what I should do now is something I'll need to decide for myself...that's why...that's why I can't stay here."

"Wh-What?" asked Touya, his smile falling into a frown and his heart sinking.

"I have to leave, Touya...I just...I have to find myself."

"N...N you don't have to leave..." said Touya, gripping N's hand tighter, "We...we were just starting to make a connection here!"

"Touya," said N, pulling his hand from Touya's grip and placing both hands on his shoulders, "don't be sad...I won't be gone forever. I'll return someday...but...I can't stay here. If I want to find out my place in the world, I'll have to leave."

Touya looked at N...and then sighed.

"Okay then N...I guess I understand..."

N let Zekrom out, while he hovered in the opening of the wall and smiled before saying "If there's anything you want to ask me...ask me now."

"...What's your real name?"

N blushed and then sighed before responding, "It's...N-Natural Gropius Harmonia."

"...No really, what's your real name?" asked Touya with a laugh.

"Now you know why I go by a letter," said N laughing along, before going on, "Touya...you said you have a dream...make that dream come true. Make your wonderful dream a reality...and then, it will become your truth. If anyone can do it, it's you."

Touya watched as N leaped onto Zekrom's back. Touya could hear Reshiram's voice in his mind, crying out in anguish. Evidently she didn't want Zekrom to go either.

"I...I'll try, N..."

N gave another dazzling and beautiful smile before Zekrom flapped his wings and prepared to carry N away.

"Maybe our paths will cross again someday...until then...farewell!"

Touya watched Zekrom soar up into the air and fly off into the distance.

"Goodbye N..."

And for a moment, Touya just stood there.

"Touya! Touya!"

Touya turned around to see Bianca running toward him, noticeably out of breath by the time she stopped.

"Sorry I'm late, Touya!" she said, "I was going around getting the Gym Leaders to help! By the time I got to Striaton and brought the triplets here, everything was already over!"

Touya just smiled and nodded.

"Hey...Touya are you crying?"

Touya paused and touched his face, realizing that his cheeks were indeed wet with tears.

"I...I guess so..."

Bianca then looked out.

"Hey Touya, look!" she said pointing outward at the distance. 

Touya looked out where she was pointing...Zekrom and N were flying out in the distance.

Touya and Bianca watched them go, together.

To be concluded...

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> After this, there's an epilogue to complete...then, it's all finally done.


	45. Epilogue

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Welp, at long last, we've reached the end of this story. Enjoy.
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

_Reshiram_   
_Vast White Pokemon_   
_This Pokémon appears in legends. It sends flames into the air from its tail, burning up everything around it._

Touya lay in his bed, staring up at the ceiling.

It had been three days since what happened at the Pokemon League, but to Touya, it felt like a millennium. He didn't know how he should be feeling about the madness that happened, how he should be feeling about the now more or less disbanded Team Plasma, about the fact that everyone is calling him and his friends heroes, about the dragons...and about N.

His Pokemon were out of their Pokeballs, all except Reshiram, who remained in the Master Ball on his desk. Sir Hiss was resting in front of the window, sleeping and sunning himself--he was told that at least some of the leaves Hydreigon had managed to singe off would grow back, though he couldn't be sure if they'd do so fully. Prima had been sent back to Touya's house by Fennel, and she was napping next to Ruff in his dog bed. Ruff himself had a stitched up scar where his right eye once was, no thanks to Ghetsis' Bisharp. Sea Monkey was hanging upside down by her tail on a railing on the ceiling, awake but looking bored. Breezy had woken up before Touya did and was singing his morning song. Screech was napping on the desk.

His XTranciever was getting a lot of calls over the passed few days. Bianca called him several times, asking why he wasn't answering and if he was mad or upset about not bringing the Striaton Triplets around. Professor Juniper and her father were both asking what he was doing. Juliet was concerned for whether or not he had gotten home safely. Cheren wasn't calling him at all.

"Touya," called out Akiko, "can you come down please?"

"Coming mom." called out Touya, "Everyone, return." he added. His sleeping Pokemon all awoke and looked at him, before being returned to their Pokeballs. And then Touya looked at the Master Ball, picked it up and carried it away in his pocket.

\----

 _As Touya and Bianca returned from the top of N's Castle, they saw everything in chaos._

_The League's Nurse Joy was running around trying to heal the Gym Leaders' Pokemon. Elesa and Skyla were tending to their own Pokemon together. Lenora and Burgh were sitting next to each other, talking. The Striaton triplets were looking around, desperately asking what was going on. Clay was trying to discuss things with Brycen and Professor Juniper. Iris, to Touya's great surprise, was hugging a very familiar looking Hydreigon and he heard her say to Drayden:_

_"I found him after Ghetsis got beat! Can I keep him, papa? Please?"_

_Cheren was moaning about how he failed to keep Ghetsis in line as Alder tried to console him. Ghetsis was nowhere to be seen. Team Plasma Grunts were being questioned and/or carted off by Officer Jennys and other police officers. Touya recognized Mara, Petr and Regina among the ones being questioned. No sign of Anthea or Concordia. Hanover was swiftly pushed into a police car._

_Served him right._

\----

_Archeops_   
_First Bird Pokemon_   
_They are intelligent and will cooperate to catch prey. From the ground, they use a running start to take flight._

Touya headed downstairs, looking around and saw his mother sitting next to...a clone of herself? At this point, nothing really surprised him anymore. 

"How are you feeling, honey?" asked Akiko, smiling, before turning to her...guest, "He's really been through a lot lately."

"I'm still a little tired, to be honest," said Touya, "who is...?"

But before Touya could finish his question, the clone of his mother spoke in a deep, gravelly man's voice, "Incredible! Amazing, absolutely, one who has met those two Pokemon of legend!"

"Ah," said Akiko, alarmed at her guest's dramatic outburst, "this is..."

"Oops!" said the clone, "I'm still wearing my disguise! Pardon! Or rather, let me introduce myself!"

The clone promptly removed the costume they were wearing to reveal a slick-haired man dressed in a trenchcoat and suit. He flashed a police badge in Touya's direction.

"I am a globe-trotting elite of the International Police!" he said, dramatically, "My name...ah, no. I shall inform you of my codename only. My codename, it is Looker. It is how I am called!"

"You talk funny," said Touya.

"Yes I do," said Looker, "now, behind the scenes of this region of Unova, an organization known as 'Team Plasma' conspires. Have you heard of them?"

Touya glanced at his mother, who just shrugged, before he turned to Looker and said "Nothing gets by you, huh Looker?"

"It's a gift of mine to be alert and observant!" said Looker, proudly and oblivious to the fact that Touya had essentially just insulted him, "Anyway, thanks to the Gym Leaders and yes, thanks to you, Team Plasma's castle has fallen! And the members have gone their separate ways! This is what I hear, most certainly!"

"Uh-huh."

"But, however!" Looker went on, "However, but...the ones known as the Seven Sages still hide themselves in the Unova region. So in the end, it explains why I must ask this of you, trainer of amazing skill! Travel the Unova region and search it up and search it down for the Seven Sages!"

"Why me?" asked Touya.

"Alder, the Champion of renown recommended you to my notice!"

"What a surprise."

"Are you willing to help me?" asked Looker.

"I've kinda had enough of Team Plasma for one year. Can't you handle it yourself?"

"...Yet once more shall I ask. If you please, travel the Unova region and search it high and low for the Seven Sages!"

Touya sighed in annoyance.

"Fine."

"Excellent!" said Looker, "I thank you! Now I feel as if I have perhaps a million people on my side!"

Touya now felt like he had confirmation that he was only being hired for this because Looker didn't want to do it himself.

"Permit me to give this into your hands!"

He handed Touya a large fishing rod.

"That's..." said Akiko, "that's a Super Rod, right?"

"Yes, correct!" said Looker, "It certainly is a Super Rod!"

"Well, this will certainly be useful for catching Pokemon," said Touya, smiling, "but what does it have to do with finding the Seven Sages?"

"I see," said Looker, "it is truly the Trainer of Legend to ask so! What a magnificent question! I admire it! It is my pleasure to answer: Absolutely nothing!"

There was a long, uncomfortable pause.

"I'll explain how to use it now!"

"I know how to use a-"

"First! Face the water and employ the rod!"

"Okay."

"Second! Concentrate your focal point! When it occurs that these Pokemon bite, an exclamation point will indicate!"

"What does he mean by that?" asked Akiko.

"I have no idea." said Touya.

"Immediately, reel it in! For the rest, Touya, I depend on you! Now I bid you farewell!"

With that, he left, leaving Touya and his mother very, very confused.

"The people from the International Police are kind of...unique, aren't they?" asked Akiko, "So are you going to look for the Seven Sages now?"

"Nah." said Touya, "I'm gonna wait a little bit."

"Well," said Akiko, "no worries. I think you should do what you want to do. You're practically a grown-up now!"

"Thanks mom," said Touya, smiling, "I'm goin' out. Cheren and Bianca are probably waiting to finally talk to me. See you at dinner."

\----

_Ghetsis was fleeing from Alder and Cheren, having managed to fight his way away from them. He ran to the nearby computer room, outside of which was Colress._

_"Colress!" he said, "I'm glad I found you!"_

_"What do you want, Ghetsis?" said Colress, looking irritated._

_"I need you to help me regain control of Team Plasma! You and Zinzolin!"_

_"No way, Ghetsis!" said Colress angrily, "Your insane plan has failed! Look around you, the castle itself is falling apart! I want no further part in any of this! We're done! I'm leaving!"_

_Colress was about to turn and leave only to be cornered by the Shadow Triad, his look of anger turning to one of fear._

_"I'm afraid I can't let that happen..." said Ghetsis, sneering as Colress backed away in fear._

\----

_Unfezant_   
_Proud Pokemon_   
_Males swing their head plumage to threaten opponents. The females' flying abilities surpass those of the males_

As Touya exited his house, he saw Cheren and Bianca, just as he expected to.

"Hey Touya," said Bianca, smiling.

"Is Looker through talking to you?" asked Cheren.

"Yeah," said Touya, "I think he's crazy."

"Not as crazy as that Ghetsis fellow," said Cheren, "it's my fault that he escaped when the Shadow Triad provided an opening."

"Those guys are terrifying," said Bianca, "by the way, Touya, you never told us what happened between you and N after Cheren and Alder carried Ghetsis away."

Touya sighed.

"He and I talked about how he didn't know what to do with himself," said Touya, "he needs to go do some soul searching. He's gonna travel for a while to do that."

"Well that's nice," said Bianca, "so N's a good guy now?"

"I'm pretty sure he was never a bad guy to begin with," said Touya, looking up at the sky, "he was misguided. Ghetsis manipulated him and lied to him his whole life. He was deluded. He wasn't evil."

Cheren sighed, pushing up his glasses.

"He seemed friendly, I guess," he said, "but I'm still not sure if I trust him."

"...I want to find him," said Touya.

"Why?" asked Bianca.

"I...I felt like I was just starting to make a connection with him. I wanted to stay with him longer. I wanted him to be my friend...he...he feels like my other half. I just want to meet him again, show him that our views could be shared. I don't understand why I couldn't just help him with his soul searching myself..."

"Sounds like you're in love with him or something." said Cheren, chuckling.

There was a pause, and Touya stood there for a moment, thinking back on everything.

Was...was that why he wasn't as unsettled by N as everyone else was before? Was that why he saw the good in him when no one else did?

In any case, he turned to Cheren and Bianca with a sheepish grin, his face flushing red a little. Dawning realization appeared on Cheren and Bianca's faces.

"Oh my god," said Cheren, "you are in love with him, aren't you?"

"I...I might be..." said Touya, smiling.

"Awww," said Bianca, happily, "that's so sweet!"

Cheren shook his head with a smile.

"You certainly have strange taste, Touya," he said.

"Well," said Touya, "speaking of love, Bianca told me about that little power boost she gave you during the whole thing."

Both Cheren and Bianca blushed in response to this and then smiled.

"I always knew you two would get together," said Touya, "so did either of you figure out what you wanted to do with your lives?"

"I definitely did!" said Bianca, "I'm gonna be a Professor, just like Professor Juniper!"

"I was thinking of something like that myself," said Touya, smiling at her, "what about you Cheren?"

"I'm...I'm still not sure, but..." said Cheren, looking up pensively, "I think I'm gonna be a Gym Leader."

"Really?" asked Bianca, looking surprised.

"That's a pretty neat goal," said Touya, smiling.

"Well, I love Pokemon battles and I missed out on being the Champion. I figure the next best thing is to become a Gym Leader."

"Which type would you want to specialize in?" asked Bianca.

"Normal," said Cheren, "I plan on getting in touch with Lenora for an apprenticeship."

"Cool." said Touya.

"I bet you'll do great!" said Bianca, hugging Cheren.

"I sure hope so..." said Cheren.

\----

_Professor Juniper was so proud of Touya when he returned to Nuvema Town. After he explained the situations she rewarded him for his heroism by expanding his Pokemon hold capacity to seven, just so he could carry Reshiram on his team._

_Upon returning home, the first thing that Touya experienced was Prima leaping up to hug him. His mother immediately hugged him and told him about how she heard about what was happening from Bianca. His father told him that he was concerned, but also proud. Hilda had returned home for the occasion and expressed her own share of pride, though as usual she somehow managed to make it all about herself. Touya shook his head at that. At this point, he had come to expect it._

_Cheren and Bianca's parents also expressed pride in their kids. Bianca's father couldn't stop talking about how Bianca made it through the Elite Four and proceeded to travel all across the region recruiting Gym Leaders to help stop Team Plasma. Cheren's parents and brothers all told him how wonderful it was that he succeeded at showing his strength._

_Fennel had reported a massive security breach that occurred thanks to Team Plasma, noting that Team Plasma scientists had intended to hack the PC system, and release Pokemon from within remotely. To Fennel's surprise, however, an anonymous individual had tipped her off ahead of time, allowing her to launch an immediate counterattack._

_Touya wondered if it was the same man he saw in the castle who told him not to go in one of the rooms._

\----

_Simipour_   
_Geyser Pokemon_   
_The tuft on its head holds water. When the level runs low, it replenishes the tuft by siphoning up water with its tail._

"Hello," said a voice, "hope I'm not interrupting!"

It was Professor Cedric Juniper.

"Oh, hey Professor Cedric," said Cheren.

"This is pretty nice timing," said Cedric, "all three of you are here! Just a moment ago, I got some National Pokedex data from an acquaintance. Since you're here, let's upgrade your Pokedex with National Pokedex data!"

"Really?" asked a starry-eyed Bianca.

"That's great, professor," said Touya, happily as he and his friends handed their 'dexes to the professor.

"I figured that the three of you will be visiting a wider range of places," said Cedric, "so naturally you'll be encountering a lot more Pokemon! There we are! The upgrade is complete! You can now switch your Pokedexes to National Mode. Completing the National 'dex will be a big challenge, so take your time, enjoy yourselves and meet lots of Pokemon!"

With that, he left.

"Wow," said Bianca, "the National Pokedex!"

"I guess it's time to start traveling more," said Touya, smiling.

"Indeed," said Cheren.

"I'm gonna go show mom and dad my new Pokedex!" said Bianca, "Let's meet again somewhere! See you later!"

With that, she ran off to her house. Cheren smiled and shook his head.

"She's still as impetuous as ever," he said, "but that's what makes me crazy about her. I think I'll get going too. I plan on training on Victory Road for a bit. Come visit me sometime, we can battle."

Touya smiled and waved goodbye to Cheren as he headed north.

Touya sighed and pulled out Sir Hiss' Pokeball, looking down at it.

\----

_Touya healed all his Pokemon at the Pokemon Center after the whole battle. Ruff needed extra care due to the injury to his eye, but fortunately, he survived the encounter with Ghetsis' Bisharp._

_Touya, Sir Hiss and Reshiram all sat together while the rest of the Pokemon rested. Touya looked up at Reshiram and spoke to her._

_"Reshiram," he asked, "where do you think N and Zekrom went?"_

_Reshiram looked up thoughtfully._

"I can sense Zekrom's presence at all times," _said Reshiram,_ "but the sense weakens with distance."

_"Where is he now?"_

"Somewhere in the northeast. Too far away to pinpoint his exact location, but I at least have a good idea."

_Touya gave a sad smile as he petted Sir Hiss' head._

_"Well...I guess we'll have to move around a lot to find him. Do you miss Zekrom, Reshiram?"_

"Yes. I do. Even with our conflict, the fact remains that we used to be one. I know that deep down, both of us wish to be one again, even though we know that's impossible. I want to be reunited with him as much as you want to be reunited with N."

_Touya smiled._

_"Then I'll make sure we do get reunited with them."_

\----

_Stoutland_   
_Big-Hearted Pokemon_   
_It rescues people stranded by blizzards in the mountains. Its shaggy fur shields it from the cold_

Touya headed to Route one to try catching some new Pokemon. Wandering along, Touya trekked through the tall grass, looking for Pokemon he might not have caught before. He was quickly interrupted by a Pokemon ranger.

"Hey kid! Let's battle!" she called out.

"Sure," said Touya, "why not."

The ranger, named Brenda, sent out a Swoobat, to which Touya sent out Sea Monkey and ordered her to use Surf. The Swoobat was down immediately.

"Oh." said Brenda, "Well, next Pokemon!"

The Simisear she used was knocked out by a Water Gun from Sea Monkey. 

"Heh," said Brenda, "well okay then kid, you're good!"

"I've been practicing," said Touya.

"Here, take this!" said Brenda, handing him a Persim berry.

"Thank you, ma'am."

Touya really hadn't been paying much attention. As he trekked through the route, all he could think about was everything that had transpired.

Team Plasma and its disbandment.

The legendary dragons.

His friends and the goals they're looking forward to.

His own goal of filling the Pokedex.

And N.

\----

_"So," said Cynthia, sitting in her vacation home at Undella Town as she did a video call with Alder, "the boy defeated Team Plasma with the help of a legendary dragon?"_

_"That's right," said Alder, "his name's Touya Black."_

_"Interesting...if he's anything like Dawn, he should be pretty interesting. I hope he comes around here sometime!"_

_"Come on, Cynthia, your Pokemon will eat the boy alive."_

_"If he's as strong as you say, that shouldn't be a problem. But enough about that. Palmer's niece is the boy's friend, right?"_

_"Bianca Blanchard, yes."_

_"I see. I'll keep an eye out for her too. Is this all you wanted to speak to me about?"_

_"No...there's talk of members of Team Plasma coming back. Ghetsis is still at large after he and his cohorts escaped from me and Cheren. Someone reportedly sighted him in Lacunosa Town."_

_"Hmm...I'll be on the look out then. If he decides to cause any trouble around here, he'll have to answer to my Garchomp."_

_"Heh, same old Cynthia. We'll keep in touch, then. Speak to you later, Cynthia."_

_"See ya, Alder. Give my regards to Ryuki and Benga."_

\----

_Watchog_   
_Lookout Pokemon_   
_When they see an enemy, their tails stand high and they spit the seeds of berries stored in their cheek pouches._

"Sir Hiss, use Leaf Blade!"

Sir Hiss swiped at Juliet's Galvantula with his tail, knocking her out. Touya had been visiting Juliet in Nacrene City.

"Galvantula, return! Go Audino!"

"Sir Hiss, return. Go Screech."

"Audino, use Thunderbolt!"

The Audino sent an electric attack at Screech, which came close to paralyzing him. But Touya was prepared for it.

"Screech, use Rock Smash."

Screech swooped down and hit Audino with his sharp clawed feet, fainting it in an instant. Juliet smiled as she returned her Pokemon.

"You're doin' great Touya! I can't wait to get stronger like you!"

"Thanks Juliet," said Touya, smiling, "I'm gonna try and find N soon."

Touya had told Juliet about what happened while visiting her.

"When do you plan on doing that?" asked Juliet as the two sat down on a bench together.

"Not sure," said Touya, "Looker says that I can't leave the region until I find the six Sages who are in hiding. Cheren, Bianca and my parents want me to stay for a bit longer too, just to spend time with them before I go around and start trekking the regions for what might end up being years."

"Huh," said Juliet, "well, I agree with them. I'd love to spar with you more before you leave!"

"I promise to spar with you one more time before I go, deal?"

"Deal! You wanna have dinner with my parents?"

"Sure."

\----

_Standing at the mountains, N Harmonia surveyed everything around him. Zekrom rested next to him as his companion, smiling._

"What are you thinking about, N?" _asked the dragon._

_"I'm thinking about Touya..."_

"The Hero of Truth?"

_"Yes. I like him a lot. I want to see him again. You think I should've offered for him to come with us?"_

"I don't think he'd come with us anyway. He seemed like a kid who had his own things to worry about. He wouldn't want to be uprooted just to join us."

_"True, I guess. Well, I'm sure someday we'll see him and Reshiram again. And I can't wait for that day."_

_Zekrom just chuckled._

_"C'mon, Zekrom," said N, climbing onto his dragon's back, "let's get going again."_

_With that, Zekrom spread out his wings and flew up into the air and out into the distance._

\----

_Serperior_   
_Regal Pokemon_   
_It can stop its opponents' movements with just a glare. It takes in solar energy and boosts it internally._

Touya was at Route 17, fishing while his Pokemon were out of their Pokeballs. Ruff and Prima were eating berries. Sea Monkey was swimming in the lake. Breezy appeared to be trying to teach Screech how to sing in a nearby tree. Reshiram was resting in the grass. Sir Hiss was sunning himself, resting his head on Touya's lap.

Touya sighed. He waited quietly for a bite. Having the National 'dex made him decide he needs to catch more Pokemon for the Professor. Fishing seemed like a good way to go about that.

It wasn't long before Touya finally got a bite and began to reel it in. Pulling it out of the water, Touya saw a Horsea on the other end of his line. Alarmed, he watched as the Horsea angrily fired off a Water-type attack, which Sir Hiss promptly blocked before using a Giga Drain on the little sea horse. Seizing his chance, Touya threw an Ultra Ball, which drew in the Horsea before plopping into the water. 

Fortunately, Sea Monkey grabbed the ball and swam over, giving it to Touya. Touya took it and smiled before it was transferred back to Fennel's PC. 

_Horsea_   
_Mystery_   
_Rash Nature_   
_Route 17_   
_Met at Level 43_   
_Highly persistent_

Touya smiled down at the new Pokedex entry.

"Thanks you guys," he said, "c'mon, let's go find more new Pokemon to catch. And soon, we can find N too."

With that, Touya and his team headed off, new adventures, new sights and new battles ahead.

\----

_A team of five men wandered deep into the Giant Chasm. The lead man knew exactly where he was going and what he was doing. While three of his companions believed he was making the right call, one of them wasn't so sure._

_Sure enough, they heard the sound of the sleeping Pokemon they were looking for...as the lead man approached it, he allowed it to wake up._

_The hideous beast awoke and directed its two, glowing yellow eyes at the lead man with an angry growl._

_The man sneered._

_"Long time no see...Kyurem..."_

The End

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And that was Truth and Ideals: The Unova Chronicles.
> 
> I hope you all enjoyed reading it as much as I enjoyed writing it ^_^
> 
> There will be more Unova Chronicles content on this account soon, including a series of sidestories, though I must warn you, those sidestories will have a lot of spoilers (many of them will take place after a hitherto unannounced time skip). In the meantime, I'm going to post the finalized Character Profiles after this (hence why I have it as "chapter 45 of 46" at the moment, I forgot those XD)
> 
> Will I do more of these playthrough novelizations? Maybe, maybe not. I already started a new playthrough of Diamond, but it's going in a very...disappointing direction so far. I also want to do Black 2, of course, as well as Moon, Y and one of the Kanto games (but I won't say which ;P). Just in case I don't succeed, there will be a sidestory that shows what all the past protags are up to anyway.
> 
> Thank you to everyone who stuck through to this story to the end ^_^


	46. Character Profiles - Endgame

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had to rewrite these. Too many mistakes left on the old version.
> 
> Some links for y'all regarding this fanfic:  
> TV Tropes Page: (started by me, but needs more love) http://tvtropes.org/pmwiki/pmwiki.php/FanFic/TruthAndIdealsTheUnovaChronicles  
> DeviantArt gallery: (wherein I'll post chapters and pictures regarding the characters and situations) http://cjcroen.deviantart.com/gallery/62771429/Truth-and-Ideals-The-Unova-Chronicles

**Name:** Touya Hilbert Black  
**Age:** 16  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Kantonese/Unovan  
**Eye Color:** Brown  
**Hair Color:** Brown  
**Birthplace:** Nuvema Town  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Occupation:** Student of Professor Juniper, Pokemon trainer  
**Relationships:** Akiko Black (mother), Angus Black (father), Hilda Black (sister), Bianca Blanchard (friend), Cheren Noir (friend), Preschooler Juliet (friend), Professor Juniper (mentor), N Harmonia (other half)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Sir Hiss (Serperior), Prima (Watchog), Ruff (Stoutland), Sea Monkey (Simipour), Breezy (Unfezant), Screech (Archeops), Reshiram  
**Goal:** To complete the Unova Pokedex

 **Name:** Sir Hiss  
**Species:** Serperior  
**Growth Stage:** Serperior  
**Level:** 55  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Relaxed  
**Characteristic:** Proud of his power  
**Ability:** Overgrow  
**Hidden Ability:** Contrary  
**Hidden Power Type:** Water  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Professor Juniper (former caretaker), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend), Bubbles (friend), Abner (friend), N Harmonia (enemy)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Leaf Tornado, Giga Drain, Leaf Blade, Leaf Storm  
**Goal:** To make Touya proud

 **Name:** Prima  
**Species:** Watchog  
**Growth Stage:** Watchog  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Gentle  
**Characteristic:** Proud of her power  
**Ability:** Keen Eye  
**Hidden Ability:** Analytic  
**Hidden Power Type:** Electric  
**Birthplace:** Route 1  
**Hometown:** Route 1  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Ruff (brother), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Cut, Hyper Beam, Hyper Fang, Slam  
**Goal:** To protect her brother.

 **Name:** Ruff  
**Species:** Stoutland  
**Growth Stage:** Stoutland  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Naive  
**Characteristic:** Likes to thrash about  
**Ability:** Sand Rush  
**Hidden Ability:** Scrappy  
**Hidden Power Type:** Ghost  
**Birthplace:** Route 1  
**Hometown:** Route 1  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (sister), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Odor Sleuth, Crunch, Reversal, Strength  
**Goal:** To enjoy himself

 **Name:** Sea Monkey  
**Species:** Simipour  
**Growth Stage:** Simipour  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Jolly  
**Characteristic:** Quick tempered  
**Ability:** Gluttony  
**Hidden Ability:** Torrent  
**Hidden Power Type:** Ice  
**Birthplace:** Breeder House  
**Hometown:** Striaton City  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Cyrus (cousin), Frying Pan (cousin), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Water Gun, Scratch, Surf, Scald  
**Goal:** To have fun

 **Name:** Breezy  
**Species:** Unfezant  
**Growth Stage:** Unfezant  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Gentle  
**Characteristic:** Likes to run  
**Ability:** Super Luck  
**Hidden Ability:** Rivalry  
**Hidden Power Type:** Ground  
**Birthplace:** Route 3  
**Hometown:** Route 3  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased), Screech (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Fly, Roost, Air Cutter, Aerial Ace  
**Goal:** To find a mate

 **Name:** Screech  
**Species:** Archeops  
**Growth Stage:** Archeops  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Brave  
**Characteristic:** Sturdy Body  
**Ability:** Defeatist  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Hidden Power Type:** Fire  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), REM (friend), Z-Stripe (friend; deceased)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Ancient Power, Dragon Breath, Dragon Claw, Rock Smash  
**Goal:** To protect Touya

 **Name:** Reshiram  
**Species:** Reshiram  
**Growth Stage:** Reshiram  
**Level:** 50  
**Gender:** None, identified as female  
**Nature:** Adamant  
**Characteristic:** Likes to run  
**Ability:** Turboblaze  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Hidden Power Type:** Steel  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Touya Black (trainer, partner), Sir Hiss (friend), Prima (friend), Ruff (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Breezy (friend), Screech (friend), Zekrom (other half), Kyurem (????)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Dragon Breath, Extrasensory, Fusion Flare, Slash  
**Goal:** To extend the truth throughout Unova

 **Name:** Cheren Noir  
**Age:** 16  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Kantonese  
**Eye Color:** Grey  
**Hair Color:** Black  
**Birthplace:** Aspertia City  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Occupation:** Student of Professor Juniper, Pokemon Trainer  
**Relationships:** Mr. Noir (father), Mrs. Noir (mother), Terrence Noir (brother), Kevin Noir (brother), Edward Noir (brother), Touya Black (friend), Bianca Blanchard (friend, significant other), Professor Juniper (mentor, friend), Champion Alder (idol), Team Plasma (enemies)  
**Marital status:** Dating Bianca  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Abner (Emboar), Sylvester (Liepard), Cyrus (Simisage), Skye (Unfezant), Crusher (Gigalith), St. George (Haxorus)  
**Goal:** To become a Gym Leader

 **Name:** Abner  
**Species:** Emboar  
**Growth Stage:** Emboar  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Jolly  
**Characteristic:** Likes to run  
**Ability:** Blaze  
**Hidden Ability:** Thick Fat  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Relationships:** Cheren Noir (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Bubbles (friend), Skye (friend), Sylvester (friend, rival), Cyrus (friend), Crusher (friend), St. George (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Flare Blitz, Head Smash, Brick Break, Wild Charge  
**Goal:** To impress Cheren

 **Name:** Sylvester  
**Species:** Liepard  
**Growth Stage:** Liepard  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Sassy  
**Characteristic:** Likes to fight  
**Ability:** Unburden  
**Hidden Ability:** Prankster  
**Birthplace:** Route 1  
**Hometown:** Route 1  
**Relationships:** Cheren Noir (trainer), Skye (friend), Abner (friend, rival), Cyrus (friend), Ruff (enemy), Crusher (friend), St. George (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Fake Out, Night Slash, Shadow Claw, Aerial Ace  
**Goal:** To have it all

 **Name:** Cyrus  
**Species:** Simisage  
**Growth Stage:** Simisage  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Impish  
**Characteristic:** Likes to thrash about  
**Ability:** Gluttony  
**Hidden Ability:** Overgrow  
**Birthplace:** Breeder house  
**Hometown:** Striaton City  
**Relationships:** Cheren (trainer), Abner (friend), Skye (friend), Sylvester (friend), Sea Monkey (cousin), Frying Pan (cousin), Crusher (friend), St. George (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Energy Ball, Brick Break, Payback, Rock Slide  
**Goal:** To win

 **Name:** Skye  
**Species:** Unfezant  
**Growth Stage:** Unfezant  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Serious  
**Characteristic:** Often lost in thought  
**Ability:** Super Luck  
**Hidden Ability:** Rivalry  
**Birthplace:** Route 3  
**Hometown:** Route 3  
**Relationships:** Cheren (trainer), Abner (friend), Cyrus (friend), Sylvester (rival), Crusher (friend), St. George (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Air Slash, Quick Attack, Facade, U-Turn  
**Goal:** To become stronger

 **Name:** St. George  
**Species:** Haxorus  
**Growth Stage:** Haxorus  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Careful  
**Characteristic:** Highly persistent  
**Ability:** Rivalry  
**Hidden Ability:** Unnerve  
**Birthplace:** Victory Road  
**Hometown:** Victory Road  
**Relationships:** Cheren Noir (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Bubbles (friend), Skye (friend), Sylvester (friend), Cyrus (friend), Crusher (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Moveset:** Outrage, Rock Slide, X-Scissor, Surf  
**Goal:** None, yet

 **Name:** Crusher  
**Species:** Gigalith  
**Growth Stage:** Gigalith  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Quiet  
**Characteristic:** Sturdy body  
**Ability:** Sturdy  
**Hidden Ability:** Sand Force  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Cheren Noir (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Bubbles (friend), Skye (friend), Sylvester (friend), Cyrus (friend), St. George (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Moveset:** Stone Edge, Stealth Rock, Earthquake, Giga Impact  
**Goal:** Unknown

 **Name:** Bianca Blanchard  
**Age:** 16  
**Gender:** Female  
**Race:** Unovan  
**Eye Color:** Green  
**Hair Color:** Blonde  
**Birthplace:** Undella Town  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Occupation:** Student of Professor Juniper, Pokemon trainer  
**Relationships:** Mr. Blanchard (father), Mrs. Blanchard (mother), Touya Black (friend), Cheren Noir (friend, significant other), Hilda Black (friend), Professor Juniper (mentor, friend)  
**Marital status:** Dating Cheren  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Bubbles (Samurott), Lillian (Stoutland), Shaula (Musharna), Frying Pan (Simisear), Luna (Chandelure), Victoria (Mienshao)  
**Goal:** To become a professor

 **Name:** Bubbles  
**Species:** Samurott  
**Growth Stage:** Samurott  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Serious  
**Characteristic:** Strongly defiant  
**Ability:** Torrent  
**Hidden Ability:** Shell Armor  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Nuvema Town  
**Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Lillian (friend, crush), Shaula (friend), Frying Pan (friend), Victoria (friend), Luna (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single, attracted to Lillian  
**Current Moveset:** Return, Aqua Tail, X-Scissor, Aerial Ace  
**Goal:** To protect Bianca

 **Name:** Lillian  
**Species:** Stoutland  
**Growth Stage:** Stoutland  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Hardy  
**Characteristic:** Highly persistent  
**Ability:** Intimidate  
**Hidden Ability:** Scrappy  
**Birthplace:** Route 1  
**Hometown:** Route 1  
**Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend, crush), Shaula (friend), Frying Pan (friend), Sylvester (rival), Prima (friend), Victoria (friend), Luna (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single, attracted to Bubbles  
**Current Moveset:** Return, Ice Fang, Surf, Wild Charge  
**Goal:** To help the team

 **Name:** Shaula  
**Species:** Musharna  
**Growth Stage:** Musharna  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Calm  
**Characteristic:** Nods off a lot  
**Ability:** Forewarn  
**Hidden Ability:** Telepathy  
**Birthplace:** Dreamyard  
**Hometown:** Striaton City  
**Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend), Lillian (friend), Frying Pan (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Cyrus (friend), Victoria (friend), Luna (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Moveset:** Return, Yawn, Dream Eater, Psychic  
**Goal:** None, yet

 **Name:** Frying Pan  
**Species:** Simisear  
**Growth Stage:** Simisear  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Relaxed  
**Characteristic:** Takes plenty of siestas  
**Ability:** Gluttony  
**Hidden Ability:** Blaze  
**Birthplace:** Breeder House  
**Hometown:** Striaton City  
**Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend), Lillian (friend), Sea Monkey (cousin), Cyrus (cousin), Victoria (friend), Luna (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Moveset:** Return, Flamethrower, Rock Slide, Brick Break  
**Goal:** To enjoy himself

 **Name:** Victoria  
**Species:** Mienshao  
**Growth Stage:** Mienshao  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Brave  
**Characteristic:** Quick Tempered  
**Ability:** Inner Focus  
**Hidden Ability:** Reckless  
**Birthplace:** Victory Road  
**Hometown:** Victory Road  
**Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend), Lillian (friend), Frying Pan (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Cyrus (friend), Luna (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Moveset:** Return, Drain Punch, U-Turn, Fake Out  
**Goal:** To get stronger

 **Name:** Luna  
**Species:** Chandelure  
**Growth Stage:** Chandelure  
**Level:** 51  
**Gender:** Female  
**Nature:** Impish  
**Characteristic:** Mischievous  
**Ability:** Flash Fire  
**Hidden Ability:** Infiltrator  
**Birthplace:** Celestial Tower  
**Hometown:** Route 7  
**Relationships:** Bianca (trainer), Sir Hiss (friend), Abner (friend), Bubbles (friend), Lillian (friend), Frying Pan (friend), Sea Monkey (friend), Cyrus (friend), Luna (friend)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Moveset:** Return, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Overheat  
**Goal:** To have fun

 **Name:** Natural Gropius Harmonia  
**Age:** 17  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Unknown  
**Eye Color:** Green  
**Hair Color:** Green  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Occupation:** Leader of Team Plasma  
**Relationships:** Sage Ghetsis Harmonia (father), Sage Rood (mentor), Anthea (sister), Concordia (sister), Touya Black (other half)  
**Marital status:** Single  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Zekrom, Kagami (Zoroark), Cinder (Archeops), Hermes (Carracosta), Boreas (Vanilluxe), Tick-Tock (Klinklang)  
**Goal:** To liberate Pokemon (former), to find his place in the world (current)

 **Name:** Zekrom  
**Species:** Zekrom  
**Growth Stage:** Zekrom  
**Level:** 52  
**Gender:** None; identified as male  
**Nature:** Adamant  
**Characteristic:** Likes to run  
**Ability:** Teravolt  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend, partner), Kagami (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend), Reshiram (other half), Kyurem (????)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Zen Headbutt, Giga Impact, Light Screen, Fusion Bolt  
**Goal:** To extend his ideals throughout Unova

 **Name:** Kagami  
**Species:** Zoroark  
**Growth Stage:** Zoroark  
**Level:** 50  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Rash  
**Characteristic:** Mischievous  
**Ability:** Illusion  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend), Ghetsis (enemy)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Night Slash, Flamethrower, Focus Blast, Retaliate  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Cinder  
**Species:** Archeops  
**Growth Stage:** Archeops  
**Level:** 50  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Hasty  
**Characteristic:** Strong willed  
**Ability:** Defeatist  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Kagami (friend), Hermes (friend, rival), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Dragon Claw, Acrobatics, Stone Edge, Crunch  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Hermes  
**Species:** Carracosta  
**Growth Stage:** Carracosta  
**Level:** 50  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Bold  
**Characteristic:** Good endurance  
**Ability:** Sturdy  
**Hidden Ability:** Swift Swim  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Kagami (friend), Cinder (friend, rival), Boreas (friend), Tick-Tock (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Aqua Jet, Waterfall, Stone Edge, Crunch  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Boreas  
**Species:** Vanilluxe  
**Growth Stage:** Vanilluxe  
**Level:** 50  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Jolly  
**Characteristic:** Scatters things often  
**Ability:** Ice Body  
**Hidden Ability:** Weak Armor  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Kagami (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Tick-Tock (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Frost Breath, Blizzard, Hail, Flash Cannon  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Tick-Tock  
**Species:** Klinklang  
**Growth Stage:** Klinklang  
**Level:** 50  
**Gender:** None  
**Nature:** Calm  
**Characteristic:** Alert to sounds  
**Ability:** Plus  
**Hidden Ability:** Clear Body  
**Birthplace:** Unknown  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia (trainer, friend), Zekrom (friend), Cinder (friend), Hermes (friend), Boreas (friend)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Thunderbolt, Flash Cannon, Hyper Beam, Metal Sound  
**Goal:** To protect N

 **Name:** Alder Gray  
**Age:** 55  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Native Unovan  
**Eye Color:** Purple  
**Hair Color:** Red  
**Birthplace:** Floccesy Town  
**Hometown:** Floccesy Town  
**Occupation:** Unova League Champion  
**Relationships:** Ryuki Gray (son), Benga Gray (grandson), Touya Black (friend), Cheren Noir (friend), Bianca Blanchard (friend), Marshal Archer (protege), Professor Aurea Juniper (friend), Professor Cedric Juniper (friend), Cynthia Drake (colleague), Red Tajiri (colleague)  
**Marital status:** Widowed  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Horus (Volcarona), Broadway (Druddigon), Streaky (Accelgor), Sir Paul (Escavalier), Crasher (Bouffalant), Coldstone (Vanilluxe)  
**Goal:** To travel Unova and give aspiring trainers advice

 **Name:** Horus  
**Species:** Volcarona  
**Growth Stage:** Volcarona  
**Level:** 77  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Rash  
**Characteristic:** Likes to eat  
**Ability:** Flame Body  
**Hidden Ability:** Swarm  
**Birthplace:** Floccesy Town  
**Hometown:** Floccesy Town  
**Relationships:** Alder Gray (trainer), Benga Gray (friend), Pele (mother; deceased), Broadway (friend), Streaky (friend), Sir Paul (friend), Crasher (friend), Coldstone (friend)  
**Marital status:** None  
**Current Moveset:** Overheat, Quiver Dance, Bug Bite, Hyper Beam  
**Goal:** To lead

 **Name:** Broadway  
**Species:** Druddigon  
**Growth Stage:** Druddigon  
**Level:** 75  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Hardy  
**Characteristic:** Likes to run  
**Ability:** Rough Skin  
**Hidden Ability:** Mold Breaker  
**Birthplace:** Dragonspiral Tower  
**Hometown:** Floccesy City  
**Relationships:** Alder Gray (trainer), Benga Gray (friend), Horus (friend), Streaky (friend), Sir Paul (friend), Crasher (friend), Coldstone (friend)  
**Marital status:** None  
**Current Moveset:** Outrage, Superpower, Night Slash, Payback  
**Goal:** To enjoy himself

 **Name:** Streaky  
**Species:** Accelgor  
**Growth Stage:** Accelgor  
**Level:** 75  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Hasty  
**Characteristic:** Proud of his power  
**Ability:** Hydration  
**Hidden Ability:** Unburden  
**Birthplace:** Moor of Icirrus  
**Hometown:** Floccesy City  
**Relationships:** Alder Gray (trainer), Benga Gray (friend), Horus (friend), Broadway (friend), Sir Paul (rival), Crasher (friend), Coldstone (friend)  
**Marital status:** None  
**Current Moveset:** Focus Blast, Bug Buzz, Me First, Energy Ball  
**Goal:** To fight Sir Paul

 **Name:** Sir Paul  
**Species:** Escavalier  
**Growth Stage:** Escavalier  
**Level:** 75  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Bold  
**Characteristic:** A little quick tempered  
**Ability:** Swarm  
**Hidden Ability:** Overcoat  
**Birthplace:** Moor of Icirrus  
**Hometown:** Floccesy City  
**Relationships:** Alder Gray (trainer), Benga Gray (friend), Horus (friend), Broadway (friend), Streaky (rival), Crasher (friend), Coldstone (friend)  
**Marital status:** None  
**Current Moveset:** X-Scissor, Iron Head, Aerial Ace, Giga Impact  
**Goal:** To fight Streaky

 **Name:** Crasher  
**Species:** Bouffalant  
**Growth Stage:** Bouffalant  
**Level:** 75  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Lax  
**Characteristic:** Takes plenty of siestas  
**Ability:** Sap Sipper  
**Hidden Ability:** Soundproof  
**Birthplace:** Route 10  
**Hometown:** Floccesy City  
**Relationships:** Alder Gray (trainer), Benga Gray (friend), Horus (friend), Broadway (friend), Streaky (friend), Sir Paul (friend), Coldstone (friend)  
**Marital status:** None  
**Current Moveset:** Head Charge, Megahorn, Earthquake, Stone Edge  
**Goal:** To take a nap

 **Name:** Coldstone  
**Species:** Vanilluxe  
**Growth Stage:** Vanilluxe  
**Level:** 75  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Bashful  
**Characteristic:** Scatters things often  
**Ability:** Ice Body  
**Hidden Ability:** Weak Armor  
**Birthplace:** Cold Storage  
**Hometown:** Floccesy City  
**Relationships:** Alder Gray (trainer), Benga Gray (friend), Horus (friend), Broadway (friend), Streaky (friend), Sir Paul (friend), Crasher (friend)  
**Marital status:** None  
**Current Moveset:** Blizzard, Flash Cannon, Light Screen, Acid Armor  
**Goal:** None

 **Name:** Ghetsis Harmonia  
**Age:** 48  
**Gender:** Male  
**Race:** Unovan  
**Eye Color:** Red  
**Hair Color:** Green  
**Birthplace:** Lacunosa Town  
**Hometown:** Lacunosa Town  
**Occupation:** ~~Head Sage of Team Plasma~~ Leader of Team Plasma  
**Relationships:** N Harmonia ( ~~son~~ pawn), Sage Zinzolin (colleague, right-hand man), Sage Rood (colleague), Sage Ryoku (colleague), Sage Gorm (colleague), Sage Giallo (colleague), Sage Bronius (colleague), Anthea (ward), Concordia (ward), Plasma Intern Colress (whipping boy)  
**Marital status:** Widowed, spouse unknown  
**Current Pokemon Team:** Hydreigon, Eelektross, Bisharp, Seismitoad, Bouffalant, Cofagrigus  
**Goal:** ~~To liberate Pokemon~~ To rule Unova

 **Name:** None  
**Species:** Cofagrigus  
**Growth Stage:** Cofagrigus  
**Level:** 52  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Impish  
**Characteristic:** Good endurance  
**Ability:** Mummy  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Relic Castle  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Ghetsis Harmonia (trainer), Kagami (main course)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Protect, Shadow Ball, Psychic, Toxic  
**Goal:** To eat Kagami's soul

 **Name:** None  
**Species:** Bouffalant  
**Growth Stage:** Bouffalant  
**Level:** 52  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Adamant  
**Characteristic:** Likes to fight  
**Ability:** Reckless  
**Hidden Ability:** Soundproof  
**Birthplace:** Route 10  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Ghetsis Harmonia (trainer)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Head Charge, Wild Charge, Earthquake, Poison Jab  
**Goal:** To smash everything

 **Name:** None  
**Species:** Seismitoad  
**Growth Stage:** Seismitoad  
**Level:** 52  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Sassy  
**Characteristic:** Strongly defiant  
**Ability:** Swift Swim  
**Hidden Ability:** Water Absorb  
**Birthplace:** Icirrus City  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Ghetsis Harmonia (trainer)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Muddy Water, Sludge Wave, Earthquake, Rain Dance  
**Goal:** To make noise

 **Name:** None  
**Species:** Eelektross  
**Growth Stage:** Eelektross  
**Level:** 52  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Quiet  
**Characteristic:** Likes to thrash about  
**Ability:** Levitate  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Chargestone Cave  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Ghetsis Harmonia (trainer)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Crunch, Wild Charge, Flamethrower, Acrobatics  
**Goal:** To electrocute everything

 **Name:** None  
**Species:** Bisharp  
**Growth Stage:** Bisharp  
**Level:** 52  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Hardy  
**Characteristic:** Proud of its power  
**Ability:** Defiant  
**Hidden Ability:** Pressure  
**Birthplace:** Route 11  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Ghetsis Harmonia (trainer)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Night Slash, X-Scissor, Stone Edge, Metal Burst  
**Goal:** To kill

 **Name:** None  
**Species:** Hydreigon  
**Growth Stage:** Hydreigon  
**Level:** 54  
**Gender:** Male  
**Nature:** Maddened  
**Characteristic:** Wants to kill you  
**Ability:** Levitate  
**Hidden Ability:** None  
**Birthplace:** Team Plasma's castle  
**Hometown:** Unknown  
**Relationships:** Ghetsis Harmonia (slaver)  
**Marital status:** N/A  
**Current Moveset:** Focus Blast, Fire Blast, Dragon Pulse, Surf  
**Goal:** To kill every living thing in existence (former), To avoid being beaten by Ghetsis (current)


End file.
